Chronic back pain affects over 16 million adults. It is one of the most common conditions limiting human function. When conservative methods no longer work to relieve your pain, your doctor may suggest artificial disc replacement. During this procedure, your surgeon will replace one or two of your spinal discs with metal or plastic discs. Before discussing the details of the surgery, your doctor will review your medical history and assess several factors to ascertain if you are a suitable ... [Read More]
Artificial Discs
Spine Surgery: How Serious Is It?
Spine surgery can help to greatly reduce or eliminate your back pain. It can also be performed to address referred pain in another part of your body that is being caused in the spinal cord. While most people automatically assume that spine surgery is a major procedure, you may be surprised to know that it might not be as serious as you thought. Let’s talk about what you can expect from back surgery, and where you can go for a medical evaluation and recommendations to finally achieve pain ... [Read More]
Artificial Discs vs. Spinal Fusion
Back pain is sometimes treatable without surgery, but surgery may be the best option when the pain is chronic and is becoming unbearable. Spine surgery is highly successful in reducing pain and improving the patient’s quality of life. In a healthy spine, the vertebrae are held together by discs composed of cartilage that act as cushions which absorb shock, such as from walking or running. Each set of two adjacent vertebrae are separated by a protective disc. However, worn-out or damaged discs ... [Read More]
Is Artificial Disc Replacement Better than Fusion?
Going for back surgery can be an overwhelming decision to make. Surgery is only recommended when less-invasive measures have not worked to alleviate the pain or disability in your back. If you have chronic back pain, your doctor may tell you that you have two main options: spinal fusion or artificial disc replacement. Let’s talk about each of these procedures and how they work to alleviate back pain for good. What Is Spinal Fusion? Spinal fusion is the permanent fusing of two or more ... [Read More]
Recovery from Receiving Artificial Discs
During recovery from back surgery after receiving one or more artificial discs, the healing phase begins. This procedure requires specific recovery strategies after getting discharged from the hospital. With this in mind, here are some tips on how you can recover after back surgery involving artificial discs. Take Pain Medication Your doctor will most likely prescribe pain medications to manage your postoperative pain. These medications may include over-the-counter pain medicine, narcotic ... [Read More]
