You probably know someone who has complained about a hurting back. Chronic back pain restricts the daily activities of around 16 million persons. If the condition becomes debilitating, the most common treatment option is spinal fusion.
Spinal fusion is exactly what it sounds like a technique that involves connecting adjacent vertebrae in the affected portion of your spine. During a spinal fusion, two or more vertebrae are permanently fused, preventing movement between them. It is common to employ a bone transplant or metal hardware to support the spine. The treatment is generally safe, with a high success rate.
As with any other back surgery, it should only be considered if nonsurgical options such as drugs and physical therapy have failed to alleviate your problems.
1. Spinal Fusion Is Common
Every year, the United States performs more than 300,000 lumbar spinal fusions. Patients use this surgery to treat common back disorders, including herniated discs, scoliosis, and infections. Because of technological advancements in recent years, more patients who require treatment are choosing minimally invasive solutions to shorten recovery times and lower the risk of problems.
One reason it works is that it employs techniques that replicate the natural mending process of shattered bones. The surgeon inserts bone or bone-like material into the gap between two vertebrae during surgery. Metal plates, screws, or rods are frequently used to hold the vertebrae together so that they heal as a single, solid unit.
2. It Treats Many Different Conditions
A wide range of illnesses and ailments may necessitate the fusion of vertebrae to restore or stabilize them. Spinal fusion may be performed on a patient as part of a bigger surgical operation. Your surgeon may propose the operation to a patient as a treatment for several spinal disorders, including:
- Chronic back pain: As previously stated, spinal fusion surgery can be used to alleviate persistent back pain by strengthening the spine's weak areas.
- Facet arthropathy: Facet joints are placed in the back of the spine. Facet arthropathy is a degenerative disorder that can produce significant pain in some regions of the spine. In certain situations, treatment involves fusing the afflicted vertebrae to prevent the facet joints from moving and aggravating the spinal column.
- Spondylolisthesis: This is a condition in which a vertebra moves forward over the bone beneath it. Spinal fusion surgery can realign a slipped vertebra and raise the bone away from a nerve root or the spinal cord.
3. Bone Graft Is Used
Spinal fusion uses procedures that replicate the natural mending process of fractured bones. During surgery, the vertebrae are usually fused using a bone graft or bone-like substance. The material might originate from a bone bank or your body, usually the pelvis. The graft promotes healing by boosting bone formation.
Nowadays, there are more synthetic possibilities for bone graft material. If your bone is utilized, the surgeon will most likely create an incision above your pelvic bone, extract a small amount of it, and then close the wound. This may sound frightening, but both the incision and the amount of graft removed would be extremely little. Your doctor will be able to answer any questions you have concerning the sort of bone graft you require.
4. Recovery Timed Is Needed After Spinal Fusion
If you have a minimally invasive spinal fusion, you will most likely be home in two or three days. At that moment, the mending process is only beginning.
It can take months to fully recover from a spinal fusion, although your comfort level will likely improve much sooner. While the surgery is generally safe, it is critical to follow recovery guidelines to have a complete and healthy recovery.
Once you return home, the fused portion of your spine must be preserved in good alignment. You will be given medical advice on how to sit, stand, walk, and move properly. Following your doctor's recommendations will be critical to a complete recovery. You'll probably have to:
- Avoid engaging in intense activity. Doing too much too soon may jeopardize your healing process.
- Follow any doctor-prescribed exercises or physical therapy.
- Prepare to receive at-home support with daily activities while you heal.
- Schedule follow-up appointments with your doctor.
- Delay returning to work until you are fully healed.
If spinal fusion might be part of your treatment plan, contact the spinal surgeon.
