Neck and arm pain is often the result of cervical disc degeneration, a condition in which a vertebral disc in the neck has deteriorated or been damaged due to the natural aging process or injury. This process can pinch or compress the spinal cord or nerves. Flattening or loss of disc height, ruptured discs, and bone spurs are all examples of cervical disc degeneration that create pain or discomfort in the neck.

What is spinal fusion?

Spinal fusion surgery has been the traditional treatment for hundreds of thousands of patients hoping to find relief from the intense and debilitating back and neck pain caused by disc degeneration.

With fusion, the patient’s damaged disc is removed, not replaced. Bone is harvested from the patient’s hip or from a bone bank and used to fill the space between the vertebrae. Because the vertebrae become locked in place, fusion can restrict movement and lead to further disc herniation.

Benefits of Cervical Disc Replacement Surgery include:

• An artificial disc in the neck or back, in principle, is designed to retain motion in that particular segment of the spine.
• It prevents degeneration of disc levels above and below the affected disc
• There is no bone graft required
• There can be a quicker recovery and return to work or activity
• It can be a less invasive and less painful surgery than a fusion
  There can be less blood loss during surgery

The M6-C device is the only artificial cervical disc that mimics the structure and movement of a natural disc. To date, more than 55,000 patients worldwide have received the M6-C disc.