How Neurosurgeons Help Those With Herniated Discs After A Car Accident
Car accidents can cause a large number of injuries in a person's body, often impacting their life for years. For example, herniated discs are very common in a car accident and may require the help of a neurosurgeon who can provide spinal fusion therapy to those impacted by this condition.
Herniated Cervical Discs Can Cause Many Types of Pain
The herniation of cervical discs in a person's back can happen for a variety of reasons. For example, a heavy impact during a car crash can tear a disk and cause its supporting fluid to leak out. When this problem happens, a person is going to suffer from a lot of pain because their discs are going to be more prone to damage and nerve issues because they are not as supported as they were before the injury.
Unfortunately, this problem leaves an individual open to worsening back conditions that can spread to other parts of the body and cause very difficult and painful issues. And while the back may recover from these tears over time — as the discs will heal eventually — the pain that it causes may make it necessary to consider neurosurgery, such as anterior cervical discectomy and fusion treatments.
How Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Helps
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion is a common treatment option for those who experience herniated discs after a car accident. This process starts with a small cut near the neck that allows the neurosurgeon to access the disc. They then examine the injury and come up with a treatment method that can help manage it. Usually, this requires fusing a piece of bone to the damaged area.
When this process is finished, a small plate is often placed across the gap in the disc and held down with screws. Typically, this process is necessary if the impact from the car accident was severe enough to make the separation in the disc too high for natural healing. The body's spinal system heals slowly, and heavy damage may not heal during a person's lifetime, which makes this surgery necessary.
Without it, a person is going to constantly suffer from pain when they move and a higher level of instability when they walk or stand. Thankfully, most surgeries of this type are surprisingly quick to perform but may take a person out of work for a period, as they wait for their injury to heal.