Biomechanical Remedies for Degeneration of Cervical Spine—A Review of Literature

Human spine possesses three movements viz (i) flexion/extension in the sagittal or lateral plane (ii) lateral bending in the coronal or frontal plane and (iii) axial rotation in the transverse or axial plane. Whenever there is any disturbance to the relative positions of vertebrae or discs within the spine, which may be caused by an injury or by degeneration of vertebra and/or disc, the range of motion as well as motion pattern gets affected. Such abnormal motion of spine is highly undesirable and needs corrective actions. Also, due to degeneration of discs and relative displacement of vertebrae, spinal cord may get touched by ends of vertebra and as a result, severe pain may be experienced. Spinal fusion surgery like Arthrodesis or Transpedicular Screw Fixation and more recently Disc Arthroplasty provide the operative treatment in such traumatic situations. A look at the past work done in this fascinating area is important for deciding about the course of future developmental work