Neurosurgery is a part of medicine where the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system are studied. In neurosurgery a doctor may operate on the spinal column in order to fix health problems. Some of the surgeries needed are related to diseases a person suffers that affect the spinal column. For example neurosurgery may be used to help with spinal column degeneration in which the spinal cord is built back up using plastic or metal to replace vertebrae that were removed.

Sometimes neurosurgery is needed after a particularly bad car accident. If an accident has severed the spinal cord or damaged it a neurosurgeon may be able to go in and repair the damage. When the spinal column has been severely injured neurosurgery may not be able to make repairs.