While most everyone has back pain from time to time, it’s usually a temporary problem that goes away with rest and conservative care. Degenerative diseases like arthritis and certain injuries, however, can leave you with back pain issues that never vanish.
The cushioning discs between two vertebrae play an important role in load management and mobility of your spine. Back pain can be constant and severe if a disc starts to fail. A surgical procedure can replace a spinal disc with an artificial substitute that restores vertebrae spacing and movement, relieving pain-causing nerve compression.
Sanjay Khurana, MD, recognized as one of the best orthopedic surgeons in America, specializes in artificial disc replacement surgery. Choosing minimally invasive surgical techniques whenever possible, Dr. Khurana resorts to surgery only after more conservative therapies fail to provide relief.
Preserving your natural disc is always the preferred outcome. However, when a disc no longer performs due to injury or disease, artificial disc replacement is an alternative to spinal fusion that naturally restores function and relieves pain in your body.
Still the most common surgical approach to degenerative disc disease, spinal fusion welds two adjacent vertebrae together to eliminate motion between them once their spinal disc fails. While a successful procedure for many, sometimes painful symptoms remain, even when the surgery goes well. The thought is that this happens because spinal fusion limits the natural mobility of the spine.
Artificial disc replacement provides an approach that more closely duplicates natural disc function, a procedure that gained approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2004. Artificial discs come in several forms, using either a metal construction or a combination of metal and plastic. Regardless of design, the role of an artificial disc remains the same: to replace the size and mobility of a natural disc.
Loss of natural disc height is often a cause of back pain since nerve branches from the spinal cord could compress due to the relocation of vertebrae. An artificial disc brings vertebrae back into vertical alignment to restore natural nerve pathways. The artificial disc also permits the bones of the spine to move independently and naturally.
Artificial disc replacement surgery is a hospital procedure, but don’t be surprised to find yourself on your feet the next day. With the disc in place, the sooner you start rehabilitation, the better your recovery goes.
Your movements are controlled and modest since the tissue must still heal. However, mild exercise and physical therapy support blood flow, an essential part of the healing process, while maintaining flexibility and starting to strengthen the supporting muscles.
Find out if artificial disc replacement is the answer by consulting with Dr. Khurana in his Marina Del Rey or Manhattan Beach office. Book online or call the nearest location directly. There’s an answer for your back pain, so make an appointment today.
