Replacement of Spinal Disc surgery is also popularly known as intervertebral disc athroplasty or total disc replacement. This process involves the spine getting replace with artificial made like metal or plastic ones both in the upper or lower spine. This surgery is done to treat chronic and severe cervical and lumbar pain which results from DDD or Degenerative Disc Disorder.
This procedure is a new one for several types of lumbar pain. Just recently this process is approved by FDA in the United States and research is ongoing worldwide especially in Europe. This might become a standard cure for some lower back pains.
Artificial disc replacement surgery is done to remove and lessen pain while promoting flexibility in the spine. Those who are qualified to have spinal disc replacement surgery are the following;
- Does not have any history of back surgery.
- Age is less than sixty years old and is healthy.
- Does not have any bone disease or deformities.
- Those who have only one degenerated disc.
- Those who have failed any other methods of medications or treatments
Before the introduction of spinal disc replacement, normal attention for chronic and severe lumbar pain was spinal fusion surgery. This procedure involves fusing two or more vertebrae to avoid movement in the painful sections of spinal column result to a reduce pain due to lessening movement of spine.
Figures show that replacement spinal disc is much better than spinal fusion. Patients who undergo spinal disc replacement have less blood loss, less time stay in the hospital and recovers fast than patients who undergo spinal fusion. That is why spinal disc replacement is most sought after procedure these days for people who are qualified to have one. It is much safer procedure and recovery is much faster thus one can easily go back to work or do its normal activities again.