Cervical fusion, a surgery of the upper spine, has been shown to relieve more than just neck pain and referred pain. A study published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery in August 2009 revealed that two years after undergoing cervical fusion, patients reported a lessening of severity and a decrease in the number of headaches suffered. Cervical fusion is fusing one vertebra to another in the neck, the top seven bones of the spine. This procedure involves merging the two bones by inserting a bone graft or an intervertebral spacer where the injured disc used to be, where new bone grows around the insert. The term fusion, using heat to melt two elements and then �fuse� them, is not applied to cervical fusion.
Herniated Disc
A herniated disc is the primary reason that a cervical fusion is recommended by an orthopedic surgeon. Vertebrae have a pad in between each bone called a disc to cushion the movement of the spine. The disc could be compared to a doughnut filled with jelly. As the disc wears out from age or is injured by force or constant misuse, the inner portion of the disc, the nucleus pulposus, pushes to the outer ring, called the annulus fibrosus. While some people may never feel it, a herniated cervical disc can cause localized pain or pain shooting down the arm. Before a cervical fusion can take place, the damaged disc must be removed, and this is called a discectomy.
Headache Study Results
The study that examined patients who had headaches in addition to neck pain and dysfunction had two purposes. First, to determine the prevalence of headaches in people with cervical radiculopathy (shooting pain in the arm) and myleopathy (spinal cord dysfunction), and second, to determine the effectiveness’ of anterior cervical surgery (surgery from the front of the neck) in relieving headache symptoms associated with the cervical disease. The study did not include patients with migraine headaches and only included people who were suffering from type of spinal cord disease.
At the start of the study, of just over 1000 patients, of whom 51.6% were male, 86% reported that they were suffering from headaches, with 31% of them mild and 52% of them severe. Two years after the surgery, of the 800 patients who reported back, nearly 35% said they had no headaches, 46% said they had mild headaches, with just 18% reporting severe headaches. The lead author of the study, Joseph Riina, MD, of Orthopedics Indianapolis stated that anterior cervical fusion is not a cure for all headaches, but that if a patient is suffering from neck pain and dysfunction and severe headache as a result of it, that this type of surgery may be appropriate.
Cervical Fusion Recovery
As with any surgery, it is the patient’s decision to undergo this type of fusion. A qualified surgeon will use the advanced technology and the health care team will work to assure the best recovery. The patient’s attitude and following of the rehabilitation guidelines established will also play a part in the success of the fusion operation.