Russell William Nelson, MD, is the founder and medical director of California's Nelson Spine Institute. In several peer-reviewed journals, Russell William Nelson, MD, has published articles on the non-surgical treatment of cervical spine instability.

2.  Russell William Nelson, MD, is the founder and
medical director of California's Nelson Spine Institute.
In several peer-reviewed journals, Russell William
Nelson, MD, has published articles on the non-surgical
treatment of cervical spine instability.
Physicians use the term “cervical spine instability” to
refer to a certain type of motion disfunction in the
neck. Neck pain occurs when unstable bone and
ligament, and muscle structures cannot support the
motion of the neck and head. The patient frequently
feels a sharp pain with a particular movement or may
feel the need to hold the head up using the hands or
external structures.

3.  Experts attribute degenerative instability to the
excessive wear of support structures in the
cervical region. For most patients, this stems
from age-related degeneration or an arthritic
condition, though patients with a herniated
disc or other injury may also experience
instability symptoms. The connection between
the symptoms and a related physical condition
is often difficult for a practitioner to identify, as
the best test to assess instability is using flexion
and extension radiographs. Once diagnosed,
however, the condition may be treatable with
exercise therapy, but without success requires
stabilization surgery.