My Spine - Cervical
In patients where the nerves have been damaged permanently, the dysfunc-
tion of the nerves (numbness, pain and weakness) may not clear up; this is,
however, rare. In patients where the operation successfully treated the symp-
toms, ongoing spinal degeneration may lead to pathology of the adjacent (or
a distant) spinal level resulting in new symptoms appearing from nerve com-
pression at that level and ultimately future surgery on that level.
This is believed to be a process that, even though part of the normal ageing
process, is speeded up by surgery. This is believed to be less of a factor when
a disc arthroplasty is performed instead of a fusion, see the chapter Cervical
Disc Arthroplasty.
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