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• Spinal Fusion

Spinal Fusion for Spinal Stenosis

Spinal fusion is a traditional surgical procedure designed to alleviate the symptoms of spinal stenosis and other conditions affecting the spinal column. This type of surgery essentially involves fusing together two vertebrae that are next to each other in the spinal column. The fusing, or connecting, of the spinal bone structure is an attempt to stop motion between vertebrae, and thereby stop the pain and discomfort that accompanied that motion.

Unfortunately, when spinal fusion is used for treating spinal stenosis and other back or neck conditions, there’s a chance the surgery can cause other problems – some of them serious – to occur down the road. When considering spinal fusion, it’s important to remember that it is a major operation which disrupts the normal functioning and structure of the spinal column. In doing so, additional stress can be placed on the spine, possibly resulting in a new set of symptoms and problems.

When spinal fusion is performed, the following typically occurs:

• General anesthesia must be used.
• Surgery can take up to 12 hours.
• Bone grafts are taken from other parts of the body.
• Using plates and screws, bone grafts are attached to the vertebrae being fused. This encourages the vertebrae to eventually grow together as one bone.
• As the body heals after surgery, the grafts are expected to "take" or "fuse" the vertebrae together.

The vertebrae connected by spinal fusion can no longer move naturally. As a result, the vertebrae and the discs above and below the fused region often are placed under additional strain as they attempt to keep the body mobile. This can lead to other problems, such as development of bone spurs, foraminal narrowing, and herniated discs.

Spinal fusion is not used to directly treat spinal stenosis, but to tackle an underlying cause of spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal and it is triggered by a number of conditions, including:

• Osteoarthritis
• Herniated discs
• Degenerative disc disease
• Bone spurs
• Other spinal conditions

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Before considering spinal fusion, you need to know that 25% of all spinal fusion surgeries are not effective at relieving symptoms. And, spinal fusion typically involves a long, painful recovery period, as well as all of the risks that accompany traditional open-back or open-neck surgeries.

With this information in mind, you may want to consider a spinal fusion alternative to treat your spinal stenosis. At Laser Spine Institute, we offer minimally invasive endoscopic procedures, including Percutaneous Endoscopic Discectomy, which are performed on an outpatient basis. Our procedures have been shown to relieve symptoms in 87% of patients within 3 months after surgery. For more information and a free review of your MRI or CT scan, contact LSI today.

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