When conservative care fails to alleviate the pain and neurological deficits caused by degenerative disc disease in a cervical spine, the most common recourse is surgical decompression of the affected nerves and/or spinal cord. Decompression is often accomplished via an anterior approach whereby essentially the entire disc as well as any bony osteophytes and ligaments that are compressing the spinal cord and/or nerves are removed. While usually successful at decompressing affected neural structures, the decompression often results in collapse of the disc space, instability and recurrent symptomatology.