When treating debilitating neck or back pain associated with spine conditions, artificial disc replacement surgery emerges as a promising solution that aims to alleviate pain and restore spine mobility and function.
Artificial disc replacement surgery involves removing the damaged vertebral disc of the spine and replacing it with an artificial disc while preserving the natural movement of the spine.
Like any other surgical procedure, artificial disc replacement has pros and cons, which you must understand before considering it.
Let’s talk about the pros and cons of artificial disc replacement and where you can go to determine your eligibility for this procedure in Colorado Springs.
Pros of Artificial Disc Replacement
An artificial disc replacement offers myriad benefits for patients suffering from debilitating spine conditions. These benefits include
Pain Relief
One of the major benefits of artificial disc replacement surgery is neck or back pain relief. It can successfully alleviate knee or back pain caused by damaged,degenerated, or herniated discs.
By replacing the worn-out or diseased disc with an artificial disc, artificial disc replacement surgery provides lasting pain relief, which can ultimately improve the quality of life of patients.
Preserve Spine Mobility
Unlike traditional degenerative disc disease treatment methods like spinal fusion surgery (joining the adjacent bones together) that leads to loss of range of motion and spine stiffness, artificial disc replacement surgery preserves spine movements. The artificial disc works like a healthy human vertebral disc, preserving spine mobility.
Protect Adjacent Discs
Artificial disc replacement surgery addresses the disc problem and protects the discs adjacent to the diseased or damaged disc.
Unlike spinal fusion, which increases stress in the segments above or below the fused segment and leads to adjacent segment degeneration (ASD), artificial disc replacement surgery reduces degenerative changes in the neighboring spinal joints.
Cons of Artificial Disc Replacement Surgery
Like all other surgeries, artificial disc replacement surgery is not without its own limitations. These include:
Chances of Wearing Out of New Disc
While the newer artificial discs are designed to be durable, their long-term durability is still being studied, and they can wear out. A worn-out artificial disc may require additional surgery down the road.
Limited Suitability
Artificial disc replacement surgery is unsuitable for everyone with back or neck disc problems. Generally, it is not recommended for those with facet joint disease or bony compression on spinal nerves. It is also not recommended for people with prior major spine surgery.
Artificial Disc Replacement in Colorado Springs
Are you looking for a reputable facility to treat your spine problem? Look no further. At Front Range Spine and Neurosurgery, we focus on advanced microsurgical treatment for a wide range of neurological issues as well as minimally invasive surgical treatments for spinal disorders.
Our board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Szuszczewicz, specializes in general orthopedics, orthopedic trauma, and replacement surgeries.
If you want to set up a consultation with our surgeon, call us today at (303) 790-1800 or use our online appointment request form.
