Artificial Disc Replacement For Degenerative Disc Disease Of The Cervical Spine
Introduction An artificial disc replacement is a device which is implanted into the spine to imitate the functions of a normal disc. There are many artificial disc designs and it is classified into two types: total disc replacement and disc nucleus replacement. With a total disc replacement, all or most of the disc tissue is removed and a replacement device is implanted into a space between the vertebrae. With a disc replacement, only the center of the disc is removed and replaced with an implant and the outer part of the disc is not removed. Usually the artificial discs are made of metal or plastic like materials or a combination of the two. Some devices have a soft, compressible plastic-like piece between these plates and these devices allow the motion by smooth, curved surfaces that slide across each other. Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease The cervical disc degeneration is a common cause of neck pain that is most frequently felt as a stiff neck. The cervical degene