Pseudoarthrosis in the cervical spine can be “lived with” as long as the non-union is stable. There should be no significant motion upon flexion/extension X-rays and the symptoms should be “livable”.
There is generally no danger to a “dislocation” as the graft should be stable within the disc space. If there is a plate in the front, either the screws will “halo” within the bone (create a cavity) which generally is benign or will break. Normally breakage is also benign as the screws are generally trapped by the plate and will not migrate.
There is the chance that this motion will create a bone spur and can cause re-compression of the nerves or rarely, the spinal cord.
Dr. Corenman
PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
