Neurosurgery and Spine Surgery · Brisbane
Neck pain that travels down your arm has a cause.
And usually, it has a solution. Specialist assessment and surgery for the cervical spine, with a Brisbane neurosurgeon.
3 countries
Specialist registration
FRACS 2007
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
Start here
Where does it hurt, and what does it feel like?
Most people arrive without a diagnosis, just a symptom that will not settle. Start with what you are actually experiencing.
01
Neck pain that travels into my arm
02
Numbness, tingling or weakness in my hand
03
Clumsy hands, poor balance, buttons are hard
04
Neck and arm pain that came on suddenly
05
Symptoms that are worse when I look up
06
Neck pain that won't go away
Operating at Greenslopes Private and Queensland Children's hospitals.
What this site covers
The neck is not just a smaller lower back.
The cervical spine carries the spinal cord through the narrowest, most mobile part of the spine. The margins are smaller, the anatomy is less forgiving, and the decisions turn on details that are specific to this part of the spine.
Trained across three countries. Specialist neurosurgical registration in Sweden and Norway (2003), and Australia (FRACS, 2007).
Chairman of the Neurosurgical Society of Queensland and Secretary of AOSpine.
Brain and spinal surgery for adults and children. The cervical spine is the part of that practice this site covers.
Conditions
Conditions of the cervical spine
From nerve pain and disc problems through to spinal cord compression.
Cervical radiculopathy
A compressed nerve root in the neck, causing pain, tingling or weakness travelling into the shoulder, arm or hand.
Cervical myelopathy
Pressure on the spinal cord itself. Often shows first as clumsy hands and unsteadiness. Worth acting on early.
Cervical disc herniation
A disc bulge or extrusion pressing on a nerve or the cord. Discs do not actually slip. Here is what really happens.
Cervical spinal stenosis
Narrowing of the spinal canal in the neck, reducing the space available for the spinal cord.
Neck pain
Most neck pain settles on its own. This is about knowing when yours might not, and what to do next.
Cervical spondylosis
Age-related wear in the neck. Very common on scans, and most people will never need treatment for it.
Treatment
Surgical and non-surgical treatment
Surgery is one option among several, and it is rarely the first one.
Non-surgical
Conservative treatment
Physiotherapy, medication, activity modification and time. Most cervical radiculopathy settles without an operation.
Surgical
ACDF
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, removing the disc pressing on the nerve or cord, and stabilising the level.
Surgical
Cervical disc replacement
An artificial disc that preserves movement at the treated level instead of fusing it. Not right for everyone.
Surgical
Posterior foraminotomy
A smaller operation that opens the tunnel the nerve travels through, without fusing anything.
Making the decision
Deciding whether surgery is right, and which one
The hardest part is rarely the operation. It is working out whether you need one, and which one.
01
ACDF or artificial disc?
Both work. They work differently, and they suit different people. An honest comparison on motion, recovery, longevity and suitability.
02
Do I need neck surgery?
What actually makes surgery the right call, what can safely wait, and the warning signs that change the answer.
03
Non-surgical treatment
Time, physiotherapy, medication and targeted injections. What each one does, and how long to give it before an operation is considered.
Recovery
Knowing what recovery actually involves.
Pain, driving, work, exercise and sleeping after cervical spine surgery, alongside the practice's published guidance on each.
See the full recovery guide
About
Trained in Europe and Australia. Registered as a specialist in three countries.
Dr Gert Tollesson is a Brisbane based, European and Australian trained neurosurgeon with specialist qualifications from Sweden, Norway and Australia. He obtained specialist neurosurgical registration in Sweden and Norway in 2003 and was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2007.
He is Chairman of the Neurosurgical Society of Queensland and Secretary of AOSpine. Before medicine, he served as an officer in the Royal Swedish Navy and competed for Sweden in naval pentathlon.
Read the full profileHospitals
Where Dr Tollesson operates
Queensland Children's Hospital
Stanley Street, South Brisbane. Paediatric neurosurgery.
For referring doctors
Cervical spine referrals
Cervical referrals are accepted from general practitioners and specialists. A GP referral is valid for twelve months, a specialist referral for three. Imaging guidance and referral details are on the referrer page.
Rooms direct
(07) 3870 3708
Fax (07) 3236 9555
Hours
Monday to Friday
8:30am to 4:30pm
Accepted
Medicare · DVA · Defence · WorkCover · third-party · self-funded
Referral validity
GP referrals 12 months
Specialist referrals 3 months
Practical
What it costs, and how to get seen
Cost and access are the two things that most often stop people getting an opinion. Both are set out plainly.
Fees & out-of-pocket
What cervical spine surgery actually costs in Australia, and how informed financial consent works.
Medicare & private health
Rebates, health fund gaps, waiting periods, and what happens if you are uninsured.
Telehealth consultations
Telehealth consultations are available to patients residing in Medicare-approved regions.
Next step
Get a clear answer about your neck.
Specialist cervical spine assessment and surgery in Brisbane.
You will need a referral from your GP or another specialist for a Medicare rebate, and a GP referral is valid for twelve months. Do not have one yet? Send an enquiry anyway.