Vice Chairman & Head - Ortho Spine, MIS & Robotic Spine Surgery, BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi
Part 3 of 18 in Spinal Surgery: Advances in Techniques & Technology for Excellent Patient Outcomes
Cervical Disc Replacement: Treating Neck Disc Herniation While Preserving Motion
August 5, 2026
Cervical disc replacement removes a herniated disc in the neck through a small incision at the front and replaces it with a mobile titanium implant, preserving normal neck movement instead of fusing the vertebrae together. This is increasingly used for younger patients with good bone density.
Who develops cervical disc herniation
Cervical disc herniation is common in computer professionals and people who spend long hours driving, both of which place extra stress on the neck. Surgery becomes necessary when the herniation does not respond to conservative management, or when it causes numbness, weakness in the hand, or loss of grip and pinch strength.
How the procedure is performed
The herniated disc fragment is removed through a small incision at the front of the neck. Rather than fusing the two adjacent vertebrae, a mobile titanium disc implant can be inserted, which moves like a natural disc and allows full range of motion, including bending, rotation and forward or backward loading.
Why preserving motion matters
By preserving normal movement at the treated level, a mobile disc implant reduces the additional stress placed on the discs above and below it, helping to protect the neck over the long term. This option works best in younger patients with good bone density, and is one of the more advanced techniques now available for cervical disc herniation.
← Kyphoplasty for Osteoporotic Spinal Fractures: A Same-Day Procedure | Series index | Robotic Spine Surgery for Complex and Revision Cases →
This article is based on a Jivo Masterclass session conducted by Dr. Puneet Girdhar, Chairman, Max Institute of Robotics and Minimal Invasive Spine Surgery, BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi. The article has been summarised with the assistance of an AI tool from the original masterclass recording. Watch the full Masterclass recording
This guide is based on a live Jivo Masterclass — Dr. Puneet Girdhar taught doctors across Africa on August 10, 2025.
FROM THE LIVE Q&A
Dr. Frank, referring physician, Ghana
I wanted to share how Paulina has been doing since her surgery with you — honestly speaking, I was really impressed by her recovery time. She's come back to Ghana and she's always praising your team, and now I have even more patients lining up who also want to come and have a consultation, and possibly the surgery, after hearing about her experience.
Dr. Puneet Girdhar
We feel privileged to be treating your patient, and I hope we have done justice to you, your practice and of course the patient. I think at the end of the day we all have one common goal — we want to see our patients happy. Otherwise you, me and Jivo would not be here on a Sunday evening, leaving our families aside, if we did not have this goal.
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Frequently Asked Questions
I'm also trying to go into orthopedic surgery myself, and I'm really happy learning more about it and seeing the advances in the surgery you're doing. Out of curiosity — how many of your own fellows go on to specialize in spine surgery after training under you?▼
I always joke about this with my orthopedic fellows. I've had an orthopedic training program for the last 13 or 14 years, and not even one of them has opted for spine surgery as a career — they're very happy doing a knee replacement, arthroscopy, or a fracture nail instead. Spine surgery has evolved so much that the moment they look into the scope, everything is very tiny, and that can be discouraging — it looks very uphill. It takes a little while to enter the system and understand what's going on through keyholes; one has to be patient, because it has a steep learning curve and the margin of error is not there. So for the last four years I've run a dedicated fellowship national training program for spine fellows — once they're selected and come to me, they don't have the option to go to any other theatre, because they're now committed to spine surgery for the rest of their life.
I wanted to share how Paulina has been doing since her surgery with you — honestly speaking, I was really impressed by her recovery time. She's come back to Ghana and she's always praising your team, and now I have even more patients lining up who also want to come and have a consultation, and possibly the surgery, after hearing about her experience.▼
We feel privileged to be treating your patient, and I hope we have done justice to you, your practice and of course the patient. I think at the end of the day we all have one common goal — we want to see our patients happy. Otherwise you, me and Jivo would not be here on a Sunday evening, leaving our families aside, if we did not have this goal.
What is cervical disc replacement?▼
It is a procedure that removes a herniated disc in the neck through a small incision at the front and replaces it with a mobile titanium implant, preserving normal neck movement instead of fusing the vertebrae together.
Who is prone to cervical disc herniation?▼
It is common among computer professionals and people who spend long hours driving, both of which place extra stress on the neck.
When does a herniated neck disc require surgery?▼
Surgery becomes necessary when the herniation does not respond to conservative management, or when it causes numbness, weakness in the hand, or loss of grip and pinch strength.
Why choose disc replacement over spinal fusion in the neck?▼
A mobile disc implant preserves normal movement at the treated level, including bending, rotation and forward or backward loading, which reduces the additional stress placed on the discs above and below and helps protect the neck over the long term.
Is cervical disc replacement suitable for every patient?▼
It works best in younger patients with good bone density, making it one of the more advanced options for cervical disc herniation in this group.
In This Series: Spinal Surgery: Advances in Techniques & Technology for Excellent Patient Outcomes
- 1.Advances in Spinal Surgery
- 2.Biportal Endoscopic Spine Surgery: What It Is and How It Works
- 3.Cervical Disc Replacement: Treating Neck Disc Herniation While Preserving Motion
- 4.Growth Rods for Early-Onset Scoliosis in Young Children
- 5.Hemivertebra: Why Early Surgery Prevents Severe Spinal Deformity
- 6.Herniated Disc Surgery: Biportal Endoscopic Discectomy Explained
- 7.Kyphoplasty for Osteoporotic Spinal Fractures: A Same-Day Procedure
- 8.Lumbar Canal Stenosis: Symptoms and Modern Minimally Invasive Treatment
- 9.Minimally Invasive Spinal Fusion: Treating Spinal Instability Without Open Surgery
- 10.Minimally Invasive vs Open Spine Surgery: How Techniques Have Evolved
- 11.Navigation and Robotics in Spine Surgery: Why They Improve Accuracy and Safety
- 12.Prolonged Sitting and Disc Degeneration: Why Desk Jobs Are a Spine Risk
- 13.Recovery After Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery: What Patients Can Expect
- 14.Robotic Spine Surgery for Complex and Revision Cases
- 15.Scoliosis and Kyphosis in Children: Types and Warning Signs
- 16.Scoliosis Treatment: When Observation, Bracing or Surgery Is Needed
- 17.Vertebral Column Resection: Correcting Severe Spinal Deformity From Neglected Tuberculosis
- 18.When to See a Spine Specialist: Warning Signs You Shouldn't Ignore