C5-C6 Treatment - Spine-health

Surgical Treatment for C5-C6

The goals of surgically treating the C5-C6 motion segment include one or more of the following:

• Improve neck stability in the load-bearing C5-C6 vertebral level.
• Relieve compression of the spinal cord and/or C6 spinal nerve(s).
• Prevent further injury to the nerve root(s) and/or spinal cord.

Surgery is more likely to be recommended for those who have persistent pain and neurological and/or muscular deficits, preventing the ability to function in everyday life.

See Surgery for Neck Pain

Surgical methods used in the C5-C6 vertebral levels are described below.

• Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery involves removing the C5-C6 intervertebral disc to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or C6 nerve root. The disc is replaced by an implant or bone graft, allowing biological fusion of the adjacent C5 and C6 vertebrae.

  Watch Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) Video

• Cervical artificial disc replacement (ADR) or cervical disc arthroplasty surgery is done to remove a damaged disc and replace it with an artificial disc in order to maintain motion in the treated segment.

  Watch Cervical Disc Replacement Surgery Video

• Posterior cervical decompression surgery involves the removal of a part of the herniated disc from the back of the cervical spine.

• Laminectomy is the removal of a portion of the vertebral arch in the posterior region. Laminectomy helps widen the spinal canal, relieving pressure on the spinal cord. The procedure may involve either the C5, C6, or both vertebrae.

  Watch Cervical Laminectomy Video

• Foraminotomy is the removal of excess or overgrown bone in the intervertebral foramen. Foraminotomy helps relieve pressure on the spinal nerves that pass through these foramen.
• Lamnoforaminotomy is a foraminotomy performed at the same time as a laminectomy and is a common procedure performed to relieve C6 nerve root compression.6Epstein NE. Nursing review of cervical laminectomy and fusion. Surg Neurol Int. 2017;8:300. Published 2017 Dec 11. doi:10.4103/sni.sni_243_17

The type of surgery chosen for C5-C6 may depend on the extent and location of the damage, as well as how many vertebral levels are involved. In some cases, more than one surgery type may be combined.