As we get older it can be all too common to wake up with a pinch in your neck, but what if that pain and discomfort never really goes away? Surgery can be a scary thought for many, but for the right patient there's a surgical option that helps doctors preserve motion while also removing their patient’s pain.
A Pain in the Neck
What started as neck pain turned into arm tingling and before Jacob Clow knew it, he felt like he was stuck in a Batman mask.
“To look any direction I would have to turn everything. It's kind of weird for me now to do it because I can turn my neck just fine, but before that I was stiff as a board. I would just turn my whole body to look and it was very uncomfortable,” said Clow.
Trips to urgent care led to steroid injections and when those failed, an MRI was ordered.
“They found two levels that were bulging along with one level that was fully herniated. That was my C5-C6. It was pushing into my spinal cord, making it kind of look like a banana,” said Clow.
Physical therapy was the next step to try and fix the herniation, along with two epidurals, but the pain kept coming back.
“After the injections, they referred me to Dr. Schwind and when I first met with him, he was super kind. He came in, he just sat right next to me and just told me that surgery was probably going to be the best option because I've kind of done everything else,” said Clow.
Preserving Motion While Removing Pain
“It's rare that a patient comes in and sees me the first time and I say, I think this is something that should be treated with surgery. But because he was a younger patient with not a lot of arthritic issues and no deformity or instability, I talked to him about a disc replacement,” said Joshua Schwind, MD, Avera orthopedic surgeon.
“He explained to me how it was different than a fusion surgery and how I can keep the mobility in my neck. I can turn it, I can bend it any way I want. I should have almost all mobility,” said Clow.
“The first part of the procedure is identical to a fusion operation. The disc replacement differs in that the implant that you put in is basically two metal shims with some cleats to keep it in place and a plastic dome that it rotates and rolls on. Given his age and the expected runway, the option of preserving his motion was attractive,” said Dr. Schwind.
When spine surgery becomes necessary it can be a lot to take and weigh as a patient, but with disc replacement, Jacob was given an option that doesn’t require a fusion to eliminate the pain. Now almost a year and half later — Jacob’s results remain the same.
Continued Relief From Disc Herniation
“Things are great. I have almost zero pain in my neck. I get no pain down my arm. It was almost immediately when I woke up from surgery other than regular surgery pain that you deal with. It didn't have the same nerve pain, didn't have the tingling, none of that. And it's like my neck immediately wanted to just move normally.
Without pain and stiffness holding him back, Jacob can work and fully live his life
“I was really moved because when I saw him at our last clinic appointment, he said that operation changed his life and allowed him to return to normal function. That's one of the most gratifying things you can hear as a spine surgeon,” Dr. Schwind said.
Not every patient will be eligible for motion preservation procedures like disc replacement, but it’s another option for patients to find relief.
Learn more about back and neck care at Avera
