More than 500,000 Americans suffer from arm and neck pain caused by a herniated disc or bone spur in the neck. The disc is like a jellyroll. There's a firm part on the outside and the inside is soft. What happens when someone has a herniated disc is that there is a tear in the outer portion. The soft part squeezes out and pushes against a nerve.
Traditional treatment is fusion.
The soft disc is removed entirely. A piece of bone is taken from the patient's hip or a bone bank. It is implanted between the two vertebrae and the three pieces grow together. Movement is limited and recovery is a few months. The injury can happen out of the blue or it may be caused by an injury, an accident or a fall.