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• Replacement Disc Surgery

Replacement Disc Surgery

Replacement disc surgery is one of the many options available to patients who are suffering from severe back or neck pain. This procedure may be considered when one of the spongy, shock absorbing discs in the spine becomes damaged or deteriorated and is causing severe nerve compression. However, replacement disc surgery also has a number of potential drawbacks, which the patient must consider before undergoing the operation.

Some examples of the treatments used to manage a damaged disc include:

• Conservative, non-surgical pain management (medication, rest, physical therapy)
• Spinal fusion
• Replacement disc surgery, also known as artificial disc surgery, artificial disc replacement (ADR), or disc arthroplasty
• Endoscopic spine surgery, such as a percutaneous endoscopic discectomy

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Artificial disc replacement surgery is a relatively new procedure (the first artificial disc was approved for use in the United States in 2004). One of the main reasons disc replacement technology was developed was to provide patients with an alternative to spinal fusion. The basic concept of spinal fusion is the surgical removal of a problematic spinal disc and the bone grafting of the adjoining vertebrae. Theoretically, spine fusion decompresses the neighboring nerves by removing the problem disc. However, spinal fusion can often create as many problems as it solves, such as lengthy recovery periods, painful rehabilitation, and added stress on other areas of the spine.

Unlike spinal fusion, replacement disc surgery has been developed to actually replace a problematic disc with a manmade disc. As a result, the vertebrae do not need to be fused together and patients won’t typically need to worry about pain and stress being transferred to another segment of the spine. In theory, patients also will be able to retain their flexibility and mobility at the surgical site after a lengthy recovery process.

Laser Spine Institute (LSI) can offer a third option. Instead of removing the symptomatic disc, an expert team of spinal surgeons uses state-of-the-art lasers to gently remove the portion of the disc that is causing nerve compression. This minimally invasive, outpatient procedure is much quicker than its open back counterparts and doesn’t require the hospitalization, recovery, or rehabilitation associated with major surgery.

To learn more about endoscopic spine procedures and to receive a free MRI or CT scan review, contact Laser Spine Institute today.

Please note: Laser Spine Institute currently does not perform endoscopic procedures on the thoracic spine.