Corpectomy

Okay ok, I'm still up, sorry Kristen. :P I'm feeling restless and overwhelmed about my surgery and I've been in pain for awhile, but will go to sleep after I send this. My mom did a little research and sent me this in e-mail so I thought I'd give you guys the run down about my upcoming surgery... Happy Reading??? I'm too lazy to fix the html on the links, if you want that info please e-mail me and I'll forward it to you...

Cervical myelopathy is a serious problem. The pressure on the spinal cord usually will not go away without surgery and the symptoms will most likely continue to get worse. If you do not improve rapidly with non-operative care, your doctor may suggest surgery to relieve the pressure on the spinal cord.
There are several surgical procedures used to treat cervical spinal stenosis that is causing cervical myelopathy. Both types of operations have the same goal - to relieve the pressure on the spinal cord by making the spinal canal larger. In some cases, the surgeon may suggest an operation called a laminectomy. In this operation, the back side of the vertebrae is opened to allow more room for the spinal cord.
In other cases, the surgeon may suggest an operation from the front of the neck - a corpectomy (corpectomy means "remove the body") and strut graft. This operation allows the surgeon to remove the vertebral body of the vertebra, along with any bone spurs pushing into the spinal cord. The vertebrae are then replaced with a solid piece of bone graft (called a strut graft). The strut graft heals over time to create a spinal fusion where the vertebral bodies have been removed.
You can learn more about these surgical procedures by reviewing the following documents, entitled:

* Posterior Cervical Laminectomy
* Cervical Corpectomy and Strut Graft

For information relating to rehabilitation for cervical spinal stenosis, refer to the document, entitled:

* Neck Rehabilitation