Jennifer Matthews: Even something as simple as backing up her car was once painful for Cathy Wooldridge.

Cathy Wooldridge. It was more like kind of a crick in your neck all the time. It never went away.

Dr. John Peloza: It's been about three-and-a-half weeks now. And are you feeling alright?

Jennifer Matthews: Spinal surgeon John Peloza located the source of Cathy's pain, a degenerating disc in her neck.

Dr. John Peloza: Loss of disc height.

Jennifer Matthews: Surgery to fuse the vertebrae in the spine used to be one of the only options for patients. But now there is this. Prestige is the first artificial disc approved for use in the neck. Surgeons remove the bad disc and attach the metal device to the neck bones, replacing the diseased disc.

Dr. John Peloza: It has a ball in the top piece and a trough on the bottom piece. So it allows for motion that is very similar to the normal motion of the spine.

Jennifer Matthews: It also relieves pain, restores function and offers an easier recovery for patients.

Dr. John Peloza: They don't require a brace. They don't require a bone graft, so there is no pain around the hips.

Cathy Wooldridge: I can go grocery shopping. I can go to the mall and I can do whatever I pretty much feel like doing without having to think about it.

Jennifer Matthews: Now Cathy hopes her neck problems are all behind her. This is Jennifer Matthews reporting.