Beaufort (S.C.) Memorial Hospital has added same-day cervical disc replacement procedures to its list of offered surgeries, according to a Feb. 22 report from Your Island News.
The same-day spine procedure eliminates neck pain and improves patient mobility. After the damaged disc is removed, an artificial disc is inserted between two healthy vertebrae through a small incision.
Before the procedure was available, patients had to undergo spinal fusion to treat their neck pain.
While spinal fusion works well for some patients, it includes more downtime following the surgery and is more invasive.