Artificial disc replacement
Overview
Lower back pain is one of the major causes of disability nowadays. More than 2/3 of the population have back pain for a lifetime. It can affect one’s activity and work. Artificial disc replacement is a type of spine surgery. Your spine is made of bones called vertebrae stacked on each other. They allow the vertebrae to move and rotate without rubbing the bones against each other. The lumbar vertebrae or disk is the bottom of your spine. Lumbar disk replacement is when worn or damaged disk material is removed and replaced with an artificial disk. This surgery aims to relieve back pain and maintain normal motion.
Procedure:
While the patient is under anesthesia, the surgeon will make an incision in the abdomen to approach her lower back. During this process, your organs and blood vessels must be driven to the side. It allows your surgeon to approach your spine without moving the nerves. They will remove the damaged disk and replace it with an artificial one. Your organs and blood vessels are put back in the same position, and the incision will be closed. After that, you will be taken to the recovery area for monitoring until you are awake from anesthesia.
Time of surgery:
Generally, artificial disk replacement surgeries take two to three hours. Your surgeon will approach your lower back from the front through a cut in your abdomen.
Complications:
- Some of the risks of this surgery include the following:
- Infection around the area of the artificial disk
- Nerve root damage
- Dislocation of artificial disk
- Blood clots in your legs
- Stiffness of the spine
- Narrowing of the spine
- Implant failure or fracture
Artificial disc replacement or spinal fusion:
An estimated 70 to 80% of people have back pain at some point. Surgery may be considered when you have continuous back pain, whether spinal fusion or lumbar disk replacement, which varies with the patient’s condition. Artificial disk replacement has some advantages over spinal fusion. The biggest benefit of disk replacement is preserving motion in the spine, while spine fusion does not. Fusion surgery is a common treatment option for patients, but some patients have done their surgeries, and they heal perfectly, but there is no improvement in their back pain. So, they came up with a new alternative treatment for back pain called artificial disc replacement in 2004, which is more useful and effective than spinal fusion.
Recovery:
You will most likely be discharged one to two days after surgery. It depends on how well-controlled your pain is. You need to consult with a therapist and start doing exercises that improve your movement. It will take six to seven weeks to get back to your routine. You have to avoid weight lifting and doing uneasy tasks during this period. They can cause severe back pain and result in painful and long recovery.
Awards and Certifications
