Cervical Disorders Potentially Requiring Spinal Reconstruction

Cervical Disorders
Disorders of the cervical spine can extend to the upper back. Many of these disorders cause symptoms such as pain, numbness, weakness and tingling. Though the problem is caused by a disorder in the cervical/thoracic spine, the symptoms are often felt in the hands, shoulders, arms and upper back. Some of these symptoms and disorders may be indicators for reconstructive surgery.

Ankylosing Spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis is a rare condition that can cause back and neck pain. It is a rheumatic inflammatory disease that affects the spine and sacroiliac joints. Read More

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis is a type of inflammatory arthritis that affects almost 200,000 children in the United States. JRA is a disease that causes painful, swollen, and stiff joints in children. Read More

Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis is among the most debilitating forms of arthritis causing joints to ache, throb and even deform over time. The upper cervical spine can be damaged by the inflammation that is caused by rheumatoid arthritis. Read More

Degenerative Disc Disease
Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is part of the natural process of growing older. Unfortunately, as we age, our intervertebral discs lose their flexibility, elasticity, and shock absorbing characteristics. The ligaments that surround the disc, called the annulus fibrosis, become brittle and they are more easily torn. Read More

Herniated Disc
When the outer lining that surrounds the disc tears, the soft center squeezes out through the opening, creating a “herniated”, “slipped”, or “ruptured disc”. Tears in the outer lining of the disc can be very painful by themselves. Once a tear has occurred, pressure from everyday activities, such as flexion and extension of the neck, can help to push the disc's nucleus through the ruptured annulus. Read More

Myelopathy
Myelopathy is a term that means that there is something wrong with the spinal cord itself. This is usually a later stage of cervical spine disease, and is often first detected as difficulty walking due to generalized weakness or problems with balance and coordination. Read More

Radiculopathy
Doctors use the term radiculopathy to specifically describe pain and other symptoms like numbness, tingling, and weakness in your arms or legs that are caused by a problem with your nerve roots. Read More

Spondylolysis
Cervical spondylolysis is a disorder that narrows the spinal canal in the neck compressing the spinal cord or spinal nerve roots. It's a fracture or defect in the pars anticulars (a portion of the bone between each of the joints of the back), allowing one vertebral body to slide forward on the next. Read More

Stenosis
Stenosis is a term used to describe a narrowing of various parts of the body. Cervical stenosis is a degenerative disease where the spinal canal and neural foramina narrow and compress the spinal cord and nerve roots. Patients who have severe cervical stenosis may suffer from a shooting pain that can feel a bit like an electric shock, especially when they flex their neck and tip their chin down to their chest. Read More

Whiplash
Whiplash is the common term used for a hyperextension injury to the neck. Though the neck is a very flexible structure, it can be injured when the weight of the head exceeds the neck's ability to control its motion. Read More

Disc Herniations
The discs that act as shock absorbers between the vertebral bodies of the cervical spine can be damaged during an accident. When this happens, the material in the center of the disc can be pushed out from where it normally is, a process called disc herniation. Read More

Fractures and Dislocations
Fractures and dislocations of the cervical spine demand early and accurate diagnosis so that treatment can quickly be introduced in order to produce a painless, stable neck and prevent pressure on the spinal cord and/or nerves. When the neck is injured in very violent accidents, the bones in the neck can be broken or pulled forcefully out of normal alignment. Read More

Spinal Cord Injuries
Each year in the United Sates, there will be approximately 50,000 new spinal cord injuries caused by accidents. A spinal cord injury occurs when the cord itself is crushed, stretched, or torn by the accident. Read More

Benign Tumors
Doctors use the term "benign" to indicate that a particular tumor is unlikely to spread to others parts of the body. Benign tumors can still be a significant problem however, depending upon their location, size, adjacent structures, blood supply, and other factors. Read More

Malignant Lesions
Doctors use the term "malignant" to indicate that a particular tumor or a cancer often spreads to other parts of the body, and can be difficult to cure or treat. Read More