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Cervical disc herniation surgery in Tijuana
A cervical herniation compressing a root or the spinal cord. The approach is from the front of the neck: the diseased disc is removed and a spacer or a prosthesis is placed.
Two very different pictures: the root and the cord
Cervical radiculopathy is pain running down the arm, with tingling or weakness in a specific territory: the thumb, the middle finger, the little finger. It is very unpleasant but rarely dangerous, and a significant share improves with conservative treatment within weeks.
Myelopathy is another matter. There compression is on the spinal cord, and symptoms are more subtle and more serious: clumsy hands — things get dropped, buttons become difficult — unsteady gait, an electric sensation on bending the neck. Cervical myelopathy progresses and its treatment is surgical: here waiting does have a cost.
Why the approach is from the front
The anterior approach uses a natural plane between the muscles and structures of the neck, without cutting muscle, to reach the front of the cervical spine directly. The herniated disc and osteophytes are removed, and with that the compression on root or cord disappears.
The disc space cannot be left empty: it is filled with a spacer and graft, fusing the two vertebral bodies, or with a disc prosthesis that preserves motion in younger patients without significant facet arthritis. The choice is discussed with you; each has different advantages at ten years.
What the procedure involves
When it is indicated
- Cervical disc herniation with radiculopathy unresponsive to conservative care
- Cervical spondylotic myelopathy with hand clumsiness or gait disturbance
- Cord compression from osteophyte or disc bar
- Progressive motor deficit in a cervical root territory
- Traumatic or degenerative cervical instability
- Disabling neck and arm pain with imaging correlation
Techniques and resources
- Operating microscope
- Interbody spacer and graft
- Titanium cervical plate
- Cervical disc prosthesis
- Intra-operative fluoroscopy
- Cervical MRI
Frequently asked questions about cervical discectomy and fusion
The anterior approach leaves a short transverse incision in a natural neck crease, which becomes quite inconspicuous over time. It is one of the best-healing scars in spine surgery.
Yes. Motion is lost at the fused level, but the cervical spine has seven vertebrae and most patients notice no limitation after a one- or two-level fusion. If preserving motion is a priority, disc replacement is the alternative to consider.
Those are symptoms of cervical myelopathy — cord compression — and they should be assessed promptly. Myelopathy tends to progress, and surgery aims above all to halt deterioration; what has already been lost is not always fully recovered.
Bring your imaging and settle the question
One consultation with your MRI or CT in hand is worth more than ten internet searches. Book by phone or through the form and you will be told what is there, what it means and what your options are.