Back Pain and Disc Surgery

Artificial disc surgery is often the treatment of choice when a disc within the spine is damaged.  With damage to the discs the pain that results can be devastating not to mention life altering.

Back pain is a problem which typically impacts the lives of people for many years.  It is only recently that the Food and Drug Administration of the United States approved artificial disc surgery to treat damaged back discs.  The FDA believed that the research presented demonstrated that artificial disc surgery had been proven to be an effective treatment choice to help alleviate the pain from those suffering with damaged discs.

Previously the treatment of choice for back pain due to damaged discs has been spinal fusion. Located between the vertebrae of the back, the discs act as a shock support system and provide cushioning as we move. But when a disc is damaged, previously one of the surgical treatments used was for the orthopedic surgeon to remove the affected disc and fuse the two vertebrae together.

Yes, this was a good choice for some, but in other cases, the spinal fusion was not at all successful.  In fact, researchers tell us that the success rate for the spinal fusion surgery hovers around 75%. Not only that, but the recovery time for spinal fusion surgery can be rather extensive, since it can take to 24 months for the fusion to be complete.

With the new surgical process, an artificial disc is inserted in place of the damaged disc. This type of surgery makes it easier for patients to keep their full range of motion while traditional spinal fusion surgery can lead to a reduction in or a complete loss of spinal flexibility. In the United States, the FDA has approved only one specific type of artificial disc.

approved by the FDA in October 2004, is created from three distinct pieces. First there is a sliding core that is made out of plastic, followed by two end plates created from cobalt chromium alloy. It is the ingenuity of the sliding core which allows the back to keep its needed flexibility.

The Charite artificial disc is made out of the very same components that have historically been used in knee replacement implants.  Because we already have a history of success with the knee implants, then we already know that the artificial disc should also be generally well-received by the human body since it is made from similar parts. Current research shows that the Charite artificial discs are effective for at least seventeen years.

After making an incision in the lower abdomen near the belly button, the physician will remove the damaged spinal disc and replace it with the new Charite artificial disc.  While different in the mechanics of the surgery, both the new artificial disc surgery and traditional spinal fusion surgery have the same end goal in mind and that is to provide the patient with relief from pain.

Generally following a four to five day hospitalization the patient is able to go home to continue to recover.  A back brace is often used in those first few weeks in order to provide extra support for the abdominal muscles.

It is vitally important to do the research and to get a second opinion before make any decision regarding back surgery.  But it is also just as important to make a decision so that you can ultimately find relief from the back pain you are experiencing.

Whether you decide to do nothing or if you decide on spinal fusion or on the Charite, the most important thing to remember is that you do not just have to life with it.  Artificial disc surgery has gained more and more favor over the past few years and had give many relief from the pain they’ve lived with for way too long.