Cervical Disc Herniation
Treatment

Conservative treatment for cervical disc herniation includes:

• Rest
• Cervical collar or neck brace
• Anti-inflammatory medication
• Steroid medication
• Physical therapy that may include cervical traction

About 10 percent of cervical herniation patients require surgery. Surgical procedures are available depending on the severity of herniation. They include:

• Microdiscectomy or removal of the herniated part of the disc.
• Anterior cervical decompression and fusion in which the disc is removed and the vertebrae are fused together by means of a dowel bone graft, which comes from cadaver bone, between the vertebrae.
• Cervical endoscopic foramenotomy, with or without discectomy, is a minimally invasive procedure in which the herniated disc material is removed using tiny incisions.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated May 23, 2012