In my opinion the best procedure to treat patients with disc disease associated with chronic back pain is to have a fusion. The fusion component of this procedure is vital to the short and long term success of the surgery. Fusion is important because it stabilizes the vertebrae in their original and proper spatial relationships and prevents the possibility of patients developing recurrent pain at that level.
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Depends on the diagnosis. If your spine is dislocating to the point causing severe pain possibility.
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Spine fusions are performed for a number of reasons. There are some situations where fusion is necessary to prevent instability or deformity of the spine. Your situation needs to be carefully evaluated by a spine specialist to determine whether or not a fusion is necessary. Because the need for fusion is often controversial, it is reasonable to seek a second opinion from another spine specialist.
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There are multiple conditions of the spine that require a fusion. In the past, the treatment of severe deformity or progressive deformity, segmental instability, and discogenic pain has been the most common diagnosis associated with the need for a fusion.
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Sometimes fusion is necessary to treat certain disorders of the spine. Fusion is useful in spinal instability. It is often used in the treatment of tumors, infections, or trauma.
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A fusion is the tried and true method to eliminate pain from disc degeneration and other conditions in the low back. It will trade the pain for some loss of motion. It should be done only after all other attempts at conservative treatment have failed.
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This question cannot be answered without the specific information of the case. However, spinal fusion is recommended when there is spinal instability or failure of the supporting spinal joints to predictably perform its duty without pain or neurologic risk. Spinal fusion is sometimes offered to prevent recurrent spine problems.
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Sometimes fusion is necessary to treat certain disorders of the spine. Fusion is useful in spinal instability or deformity. It is often used in the treatment of tumors, infections, or trauma.
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The indications to have a spine fusion are controversial. If performed well in the right patient for the right problem, the results can be very successful. On the other hand, a fusion performed poorly, or in the wrong patient, or for the wrong problem may not be successful and in rare cases patients may be worse after fusion. Since it is a major operation, a second opinion from a spine specialist in a Center of Excellence is always a safe strategy.
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Spinal fusions eliminate motion in painful spinal joints. For patients who need it, a spinal fusion can literally give them their life back again. But, when considering any major medical treatment, getting another opinion is never a bad idea.
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In general, the surgical treatment for a disc herniation with primarily radiating pain is a partial removal of a disc through a laminotomy. Surgical treatment typically for chronic incapacitating back pain is a fusion. In general, removing a portion of the disc provides very little relief of back pain. The decision as to the appropriate surgical approach to a particular patient's problem requires careful evaluation by a spine specialist. There are numerous ways to perform a spinal fusion and each of these techniques has advantages and disadvantages, which need to be carefully understood by the patient undergoing the procedure.
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There are a variety of circumstances in which a fusion might be recommended. The first is if there is a demonstration of clinically significant instability. This means that if you can demonstrate on x-rays that there is a significant movement of one vertebral block on another, there is a potential for nerve damage. This occurs often when there is trauma and often an associated fracture but can also occur due to a congenital abnormality of the joints that does not let them hold the spine together properly or a degenerative abnormality of the joints that can result from wear and tear. A fusion may also be necessary if there is a cancer in the spine that could be destroying the vertebrae. Thirdly, and probably most commonly, fusion may be recommended when there is back pain related to degenerated discs or recurrent disc herniations. The decision for a fusion in the face of degenerative disc disease is complex. Surgery is generally the last step in the treatment algorithm when all of the treatments have been ineffective.
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A fusion is recommended if there is spinal deformity or instability or if the spine will become unstable due to the removal of the disc or bone.
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A fusion is needed if you think the patient's spine is unstable or if after performing surgery on the spine, you think it will become unstable. The other potential reason to fuse the spine is degenerative disease because the disc itself can cause pain, and sometimes the only way you can treat that is by fusing the spine.
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The most common reason that patients consider a fusion is to try to relieve severe back pain.
Most patients that are considering a lumbar fusion are diagnosed with either a degenerative disc or discs, or a condition called spondylolisthesis. These spinal problems result in severe degeneration and/ or instability of a spinal segment. Patients who are candidates for spinal fusions usually will have had symptoms that are severe and persistent for at least six to 12 months and all of the previous treatments have been unable to stabilize their symptoms.
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Well a lot of that depends on what the problem you are having. There are many conditions that we treat with spinal fusions, and most likely your specialist has identified that you have one of those conditions. And that if you have a spine fusion, perhaps it can relieve some of your pain or some of your symptoms.
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The need for a fusion depends on if there is mechanical back pain or instability of the spine.
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Deciding when to perform a fusion is sometimes very difficult to determine. Many factors must be considered. In general, a fusion is necessary for a patient with an instability of the spine which is causing significant pain. Fusions are also sometimes necessary when treating tumors, fractures, infections, etc.
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A spinal fusion is an operation where one or more sections of the spine that are normally mobile are bridged together with bone. Hardware, also known as "instrumentation", is often used to supplement the bridging bone. Since a spinal fusion is a permanent bridging of the spinal bones in one section of the spine, the decision to do this is not made lightly. Your surgeon should consider a number of factors regarding the integrity of your spine, the nature of your structural spinal problem and the nature of your symptoms through examination before determining whether a fusion is the best treatment for you.
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Fusion surgery is the attempt to prevent instability by joining two or more vertebrae together. When properly performed, fusions can help patients who have back pain from instability or from degenerative disc disease. There are different types of fusions that can be performed. Fusions can be done from the anterior approach (through the stomach), posterior approach (from the back of the patient), or a combination of these two approaches. A properly trained spinal surgeon can recommend the best option with the least risk.
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