Your spine runs the length of your back, reaching from your tailbone to your skull. Along the way, many small spinal discs provide cushioning, support, and flexibility. Spinal discs alternate with spinal bones, known as vertebrae, all the way up and down your spine.
When everything’s working well, the system of discs in your spine lets you bend, twist, and move without pain. However, spinal discs can suffer damage, either due to an accident or injury or as a result of degenerative disc disease. After one or more of your spinal discs break down, you may end up experiencing chronic back pain, loss of mobility, and other negative health and lifestyle impacts.
At the Total Spine Institute of Sherman Oaks and Calabasas, California, Dr. Andrew Fox and Dr. Ryan Mattie use state-of-the-art treatments to restore the condition of your spine. One of the approaches we may recommend for addressing disc damage is artificial disc replacement. In this blog, we inform you about how artificial disc replacement improves both your spinal condition and comfort after a damaged disc.
When spinal discs become damaged, treatment needs to focus on stabilizing and restoring spinal structure. You don’t want your spinal condition to continue to degenerate, as this will likely lead to worsening pain problems and increasingly complex treatment needs.
At Total Spine Institute, we use minimally invasive techniques for your artificial disc replacement surgery. During your procedure, we fully removed the damaged disc. Then, we carefully position an artificial replacement disc to complete your spinal restoration. Replacement spinal discs are made from high-quality metals or plastics and work just like your natural, healthy discs to space and cushion your vertebrae and spinal nerves.
Whether your damaged disc problem is located in your neck or lower back, this approach works just as well to improve your range of motion, reduce pain, and prevent further spinal deterioration.
Artificial disc replacement isn’t your only option for stabilizing your spine, although it may be the best choice in some cases. You may be able to recover with noninvasive approaches like physical therapy. But, in many cases, spinal disc damage needs more complete solutions.
Your provider at Total Spine Institute reviews your symptoms and diagnosis and discusses your treatment plan with you so that you understand your options. If disc replacement surgery is right for you, we keep your procedure as minimally invasive as possible, using cutting-edge technologies like robotic-assisted spine surgery to avoid extensive tissue damage.
The main surgical treatment alternative to artificial disc replacement is discectomy and fusion. In that procedure, we remove damaged discs and disc material and insert bone grafts to stabilize your spine. However, spinal fusion does reduce your range of motion somewhat, so artificial disc replacement may be a better path forward to a pain-free life after a damaged disc.
To learn more about artificial disc replacement and other treatments for damaged spinal discs, contact Total Spine Institute now. Schedule your initial consultation appointment online or over the phone today.
