Cervical Spine Surgery

When your neck pain or symptoms of cervical radiculopathy continue or worsen despite nonsurgical treatment, you may be a candidate for surgery.

The main goal of surgery is to relieve your symptoms by relieving pressure on the nerves that are being pinched. Other goals of surgery include improving neck pain, making sure your spine is stable, improving alignment of the neck bones, and preserving motion in the neck.

In most cases, surgery for cervical radiculopathy involves removing pieces of bone, soft tissue (such as a herniated disk), or both. This relieves pressure by creating more space for the nerves to exit the spinal canal.

Our Most Common Surgeries

Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF)

The ACDF procedure is a surgery that treats pain caused by a pinched nerve your neck through an incision in the front of your throat. The disc is removed between your affected bones, and they are then fused together.

Additional Resources:
Cervical Radiculopathy

Cervical Disc Arthroplasty/ Replacement

Cervical disk replacement allows for more normal movement of the neck compared to cervical spinal fusion, which connects the bones above and below the problematic disk to prevent painful movement.

Additional Resources:
Cervical Disk Replacement

Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS): Cervical

Spine surgery has traditionally been considered "open", where a long incision is made over the area to be able to see all the necessary anatomy. In recent years, it has become possible to accomplish the same goals of open surgery, but through smaller incisions. Minimally invasive spine surgery avoids significant damage to the muscles surrounding the spine, creates less pain, and promotes a faster recovery.

Additional Resources:
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon

Western MA's Board Certified, Fellowship Trained Spine Surgeon specializing in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery and motion preservation