Cervical Disc Arthroplasty Specialist

Houtan A. Taba, MD

Orthopedic Surgeon & Spine Surgeon located in Houston, TX & Pearland, TX

Damage to the discs that separate the bones of your cervical spine can be a source of chronic pain that may affect your quality of life. Traditionally, treatment for this type of pain includes removal of the damaged disc and fusion of the bones. However, with advances in medical technology, board-certified orthopedic surgeon and spine specialist Houtan Taba, MD, offers cervical disc replacement to not only alleviate your pain, but restore function. To learn more about cervical disc replacement, call the office in the Texas Medical Center area of Houston or Pearland, Texas, or request an appointment online today.

Cervical Disc Replacement Q&A

What is the cervical disc?

Your spine is made up of a series of bones known as vertebrae, each separated and cushioned by an intervertebral disc. A cervical disc refers to the intervertebral discs found in the cervical spine, or what you may know better as your neck.

Your intervertebral discs act as shock absorbers and support the mobility of your head and neck. Unfortunately, due to a low blood supply, when a disc is injured or damaged, it’s not able to heal itself.

Additionally, due to general wear-and-tear, your discs degenerate as you get older, making them more susceptible to injury and damage.

Herniated discs, cervical spinal stenosis, and cervical degenerative disc disease may result, leading to chronic pain.

What is cervical disc replacement?

Cervical disc replacement, also known as total disc arthroplasty, is a type of joint replacement procedure aimed at restoring the health and function of your cervical spine.

During the surgical procedure, your damaged cervical disc is removed and replaced with an artificial disc to alleviate pain and restore normal function.

Am I a good candidate for cervical disc replacement?

Dr. Taba determines if you’re a good candidate for cervical disc replacement during a surgical consultation. He may consider you a good candidate if:

You’ve been diagnosed with cervical disc degeneration
Your herniated disc is causing symptoms that radiate to your arm
You’re in good health
You have no allergies to metals

Though Dr. Taba is an experienced surgeon, he always takes a conservative approach before recommending surgery. If you suffer from chronic neck pain with radiating symptoms, he may first recommend anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, or injections before suggesting surgery.

What happens during cervical disc replacement surgery?

Dr. Taba reviews the details of your cervical disc replacement surgery plan during your surgical consultation, including how to prepare, what happens during the procedure, and the recovery process. Due to the nature of the procedure, Dr. Taba performs your cervical disc replacement under general anesthesia.

During the procedure, Dr. Taba makes a small incision at the site of your damaged disc, removes it, and carefully shapes and places your replacement disc and sutures the incision.

You’re then sent to the recovery area and monitored, and sent home the same day or the following morning.

Though recovery time varies, you should be able to resume light activities within a week and full activities within six weeks after your cervical disc replacement surgery.

To schedule a consultation to learn more about cervical disc replacement, call the office of Houtan Taba, MD, or book an appointment online.

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