Traditional spine surgery calls for removing the pain-causing disc and replacing it with plates, rods and screws. It also usually means taking bone from the hip and grafting it onto the spine. The part of the spine where the disc is removed is immobilized and that can put stress and wear on other areas of the vertebrae.
We have new options that help you retain your natural flexibility and mobility without traditional grafting.
Lumbar Total Disc Replacement
The lumbar total disc replacement procedure removes an unhealthy disc in the lumbar region of the spine and replaces it with an implant made of chrome metal and plastic. The implant uses a ball-and-socket design to preserve motion in the treated disc area.
It is a cutting-edge approach to spinal surgery because it does not require a bone graft or fusion. This preserves the normal motion across the disc join. There are several major benefits over traditional spine surgery:
- The implant absorbs pressure, distributes load and reduces degeneration of nearby spinal levels.
- Reduced pain.
- Less healing time.
Cervical Disc Replacement
Traditionally, a procedure called an Anterior Cervical Discectomy with Fusion (ACDF) has been the gold standard for surgically treating degenerative disc disease in the cervical spine. A potential disadvantage associated with spinal fusion is loss of motion and flexibility in the treated vertebral segment.
An artificial cervical disc replacement offers the potential for preserved neck mobility at the treated vertebral level. Instead of fusing the spine, cervical disc replacement uses a stainless steel surgical implant to treat patients suffering from degenerative disc disease of the neck.
This implant device has two components (a ball on top and a trough on the bottom) that are inserted into the disc space and attached to the vertebral bodies on either side. These components function like a joint, replicating the physiological motion and alignment of a naturally functioning cervical spine.