When the intervertebral discs in the cervical spine, meaning the neck, are damaged by trauma or worn down by the natural effects of aging, symptoms such as pain and muscle weakness can result. Treatments for these symptoms can involve alleviating the symptoms or eliminating the cause of the pain. Eliminating the cause can involve surgery, so patients and their doctors often opt to settle for pain relief, hoping the degeneration will resolve on its own. As discs age and harden, they sometimes restabilize.
Medication
Orthopedic surgeon Peter Ullrich of NeuroSpine Center of Wisconsin states that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are an important weapon in the arsenal of doctors who treat acute cervical radiculopathy, or spinal compression due to disc herniation. During the initial stages of pain within the first few weeks of onset, the patient often requires nothing more than rest and medication to alleviate her symptoms. Brief periods of stronger medication, such as narcotics, may be advised when the pain is severe.
Exercise
Ullrich advises that exercise should be considered as a non-invasive option in the treatment of cervical disc disease. A physical therapist can advise a patient on which exercises are most appropriate to maintain the flexibility of the neck. Some exercises that may be helpful include chin-to-chest stretches, slow side-to-side swivels and ear-to-shoulder stretches.
Chiropractic
Chiropractic manipulations can help in keeping the spinal segments mobile and relieving the pain of cervical degenerative disc disease, according to Ullrich. Chiropractic adjustments may relieve the pressure on the nerves by opening the disc space in the area of herniation.
Physical Therapy
The North American Spine Society states that physical therapy techniques such as ice packs, heating pads, traction and electrotherapy can be helpful in relieving the pain and muscle spasms associated with cervical degenerative disc disease.
Surgery
When all other methods have failed, or when the pain is so extreme that immediate relief is required, surgery may be the treatment of choice. Discectomy is a procedure that removes the disc. This is sometimes followed by spinal fusion, a technique that uses bone grafts to cause the vertebrae above and below the disc to fuse into one. Depending on the degree of degeneration, the surgeons may opt to remove just a small part of the disc, a procedure known as microdiscectomy. A technique that doesn't result in the loss of mobility associated with spinal fusion is artificial disc replacement. This technique has advantages in that the spine remains mobile and the surgery is reversible should any complications ensue.
