Lingering back pain, or chronic pain in other parts of your body like your neck or even your arms, often relates back to issues in your spine. Your spine is a complex structure containing many small bones, cushioning spinal discs, and major nerves that relay sensation back to your brain.
The discs that cushion and support your spinal bones can become damaged by wear-and-tear or conditions like degenerative disc disease. Spinal disc damage often causes pain symptoms and needs professional treatment to improve.
At Total Spine Institute, Dr. Andrew Fox, Dr. Ryan Mattie, and their team use various options to treat damaged spinal discs, address your pain problems, and restore your spine. Sometimes, your best bet for successfully treating damaged spinal discs is artificial disc replacement, performed surgically.
At our Sherman Oaks and Calabasas, California locations, we do everything possible to keep your surgery minimally invasive. However, any surgery counts as a significant medical procedure with associated risks and recovery time. So, how do you know if surgical disc replacement is right for you?
Here are some signs that you should at least consider artificial disc replacement after consultation with the Total Spine Institute team.
If one or more of your spinal discs suffers damage due to trauma, injury, or wear-and-tear over time, painful and uncomfortable symptoms let you know!
Without proper cushioning, your spinal bones, or vertebrae, can rub painfully against each other. And, if you experience a herniated disc, with the disc’s inner material breaking through its outer shell and protruding into your spinal canal, nerve irritation can also result.
Spinal disc problems often cause chronic back pain, neck pain, and even pain felt in your arms. The location of your pain symptoms can help your provider at Total Spine Institute learn more about the area of your spine where damage has occurred.
Spinal disc replacement can help with issues in your cervical spine (neck) or lumbar spine (back).
A herniated spinal disc doesn’t necessarily require surgical removal and replacement with an artificial disc. However, you should know that surgery may be needed to treat spinal disc herniation.
To diagnose the cause of your pain symptoms and target the area of your spine where damage has occurred, your provider at Total Spine Institute examines you carefully. Diagnostic imaging tests and nerve blocks help us hone in on the exact area of your spine that needs care and attention.
Once you know your pain relates to a herniated spinal disc, you can start trying treatments to improve your condition. Conservative treatment options for disc herniation include rest, physical therapy exercises and stretches, and spinal injections to calm overstimulated nerves and relieve pain.
However, for some patients, these types of minimally invasive treatments for spinal discs don’t provide enough relief from symptoms. That’s when artificial disc replacement surgery may be your best remaining treatment option.
When you’re ready to think about getting an artificial disc replacement, the team at Total Spine Institute guides you through the process of deciding on the right treatment plan for you.
Problems with spinal discs can be fixed with several types of surgeries, including artificial disc replacement. Your provider at Total Spine Institute may also recommend a discectomy and spinal fusion.
Artificial disc replacement, unlike fusion, preserves the full flexibility of your spine. During your procedure, your surgeon creates an incision and, after extracting damaged spinal discs and disc material, replaces it with an artificial disc made of metal or plastic.
After recovery, your chronic pain may be completely resolved.
To learn more about artificial disc replacement and when to consider this spinal surgery procedure, contact Total Spine Institute online or over the phone today and schedule your initial consultation.
