Spinal Cord Doctor
Disc Replacement
The purpose of disc replacement surgery is to relieve your back pain which is caused by degenerative disc disease. One method for stopping the pain is to stop the movement of the disc by fusing the vertebrae together referred as spinal fusion surgery. There are different methods for spinal fusion surgery which involves rods and screws attached to the spine bones and fusing the spine bones together.
Some research suggest that lumbar disk replacement may reduce the back pain due to degenerative disk disease with fewer complications and a shorter recovery time than other forms of back surgery like spinal fusion.
Spinal fusion surgery has been considered as the most effective treatment for the low back pain caused by degenerative disk disease. In this procedure the damaged disk is removed and the adjoining vertebrae are fused together by metal devices and bone grafts by screws.
Disk replacement is a new treatment for degenerative disk disease. In this procedure, the damaged disk is removed and replaced with a plastic and metal disk. Disk replacement seems to be as effective as spinal fusion in relieving low back pain. Disk replacement surgery is ideal for the candidates between the ages of 20 and 60 years and has only one degenerated disk.
Disk replacement surgery is not recommended for the people who have bone disease such as osteoporosis or have had previous back surgery.
