What is Total Disc Replacement?
Total disc replacement is an alternative to spinal fusion for some patients.
During disk replacement surgery, the surgeon will remove the damaged disc and replace it with an artificial disc. The goal of this and most all spine surgeries is to help to reduce your pain and restore activity.
The goal of any artificial disc is to:
Maintain motion in the area of the spine where the disc is implanted
Maintain motion in the area of the spine where the disc is implanted
Maintain stability in your spine Restore proper disc height between the vertebrae above and below the disc
Re-establish proper spinal alignment / curvature of your spine in the lumbar area
Reduce discogenic pain, especially lower back pain
Suitability for Total Disk Replacement
Disk replacement is an alternative to spinal fusion for some patients. Your eligibility for disc replacement can only be determined by your doctor. Before you and your doctor agree to surgery as an option, your doctor will want to make sure that you’ve given nonsurgical treatments a reasonable trial. Also, your doctor needs to receive all pertinent medical records such as Xrays, MRIs and in some cases a study called a discogram, which is a special X-ray examination that involves the use of a dye. The dye, injected into a disc, serves to make it appear better on an X-ray. The injection of dye also may produce a pain similar to your ongoing back pain, which helps your doctor pinpoint that disc as the source of your pain. WorldMed Assist will arrange for all your records to be transmitted to your assigned doctor.
Total Disk Replacement Surgery
When undergoing total disc replacement surgery, you will be lying on your back and the surgeon will operate on your spine through an incision near your belly button. The surgeon will remove the diseased disc and replace it with an artificial disc. There are alternative treatments to this surgery. You should discuss these other possibilities with your surgeon before you make your decision.
Total Disk Replacement Recovery
In most cases, immediately after surgery, your heart and lung function will continue to be monitored, and your doctor will prescribe medicines to control pain and nausea. The average hospital stay for disc replacement surgery at our partner hospitals is about ten days, which typically is much longer than what you would receive in the US with the advantage of medically trained people always being close by. Before hospital discharge your doctor will discuss a program to gradually increase your activity. It is possible that you will be asked to wear a back brace or elastic bandage to support your abdominal muscles after surgery.
Life After Disk Replacement
Pain relief, the reduction of further degeneration and resumption of daily activities are typical goals of spine surgery. While both fusion surgery and artificial disc replacement can provide pain relief and stability, with spinal fusion the vertebrae surrounding the disc space are immobilized, and therefore limit flexibility in that area of the spine. Laboratory testing shows that patients who have undergone total disc replacement have more movement in the spine. Nobody can guarantee that after disc replacement surgery you will never feel pain again or that your spine will fully regain its flexibility. If you’re like the majority of spinal surgery patients, you’ll experience a decrease in pain and you’ll gradually be able to increase your level of activity. With your pain minimized or no longer an issue, your concentration level on task will be noticeably better.