Lumbar disk replacement?
A lumbar disk replacement is a type of back or spine surgery. Your spine is made up of bones called vertebrae that are stacked on top of each other. Disks between the vertebrae work like cushions to allow the vertebrae to rotate and move without the bones rubbing against each other. The lumbar vertebrae and disks are at the bottom of your spine. Lumbar disk replacement involves replacing a worn or degenerated disk in the lower part of your spine with an artificial disk made of metal or a combination of metal and plastic.
Lumbar disk replacement is generally seen as an alternative to the more common spinal fusion surgery. Fusion permanently joins 2 vertebrae together. Lumbar disk replacement is a major surgery that requires general anesthesia and a hospital stay.
The main reason you would need a lumbar disk replacement is to treat low back pain. Still, not everyone with low back pain is a good candidate for lumbar disk replacement surgery. Your doctor will need to do some tests to see if it’s the right procedure for you.
cervical disk replacement surgery
Your cervical spine is made up of the 7 bones, called cervical vertebrae, stacked on top of each other forming the neck area. The cervical disks are the cushions that lie between the cervical vertebrae. They act as shock absorbers to allow your neck to move freely
Your cervical spine also forms a protective tunnel for the upper part of your spinal cord to pass through. This part of your spinal cord contains the spinal nerves that supply your upper body with sensation and movement.
When the space between your vertebrae becomes too narrow, part of your vertebrae or your cervical disk can press on your spinal cord or spinal nerves, causing you pain, numbness, or weakness. When these symptoms do not respond to nonsurgical types of treatment, disk surgery may be recommended.
Cervical disk replacement surgery involves removing a diseased cervical disk and replacing it with an artificial disk. Before this procedure was available, the affected disk was removed and the vertebrae above and below were fused together to prevent motion
The use of an artificial disk to replace your natural cervical disk is a new type of treatment that has recently been approved by the FDA. Disk replacement surgery may have the advantage of allowing more movement and creating less stress on your remaining vertebrae than traditional cervical disk surgery.
FAQs
It is important to talk with your surgeon about the purpose of your surgery and
how it is related to the diagnosis of your spinal problem.
For example, you must understand why it is recommended – to relieve pain,
improve functioning, or improve the symptoms.
For most spinal conditions wherein the pain is not relieved by non-invasive methods, spine surgery is the only option. The type of spine surgery that the doctor decides to conduct may depend on the ailment or the root cause of the pain. The most common alternative to disc replacement is microdiscectomy followed by spinal fusion. However, talk to your surgeon if he/she knows about other options or if there is any reason to try a different kind of treatment or postpone the procedure.
All surgeries carry some risks of developing certain complications such as infection, excessive bleeding, and nerve injury. In addition to these, disc replacement can also lead to complications such as sensitivity to the material of the artificial disc, breakage or wear and tear of the disc’s components, dislocation of the implant, damage to the vertebra where the disc replacement was done, or failure of improvement after the procedure. Your surgeon will discuss all the risks involved in the procedure.
Ask your surgeon what benefits you will experience after the disc replacement procedure. Also, ask why disc replacement is a better option than microdiscectomy or spinal fusion and vice versa. You should ask when can you return to work again and whether you will live a pain-free life after the surgery. You should seek knowledge of how long these benefits will last or if you will need to undergo another surgery after some time.
The duration of recovery is different for various patients based on their age, overall health, and their lifestyle; it may vary from a few weeks to a few months. However, one should be able to return to normal activities within 4 to 6 weeks.
Your cervical spine is made up of the 7 bones, called cervical vertebrae, stacked on top of each other forming the neck area. The cervical disks are the cushions that lie between the cervical vertebrae. They act as shock absorbers to allow your neck to move freely.
Your cervical spine also forms a protective tunnel for the upper part of your spinal cord to pass through. This part of your spinal cord contains the spinal nerves that supply your upper body with sensation and movement.
When the space between your vertebrae becomes too narrow, part of your vertebrae or your cervical disk can press on your spinal cord or spinal nerves, causing you pain, numbness, or weakness. When these symptoms do not respond to nonsurgical types of treatment, disk surgery may be recommended.
Surgery is needed when the patient has failed all forms of conservative management with no relief in the pain over a period of four to six weeks or more. The patient may need an earlier surgery, which may occasionally be urgent or emergent also in case they are having weakness in muscles or involvement of bowel or bladder or gait problems.
A patient with neck pain with tingling, numbness, with or without weakness, but with peripheral pain going down the arms who have failed all conservative means are usual patients for surgery. All such patients should be tried with conservative means except if there is a neurological deficit or worsening neurological involvement, severely worsening pain, involvement of bowel or bladder, or balance. These patients may need urgent or emergent surgery to halt the neurological deficit or progression and help in recovery
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