What to do When Spinal Fusion Surgery Fails
Traditionally, doctors treat lumbar degenerative disc disorder through spinal fusion, a process where a surgical team uses a bone graft and hardware to fuse two adjacent vertebrae together. The fusion, in theory, prevents spinal discs from moving, thereby preventing back pain.
But many patients experience pain after spinal fusion. According to The New England Journal of Medicine, fusion creates more complications than any spinal surgery.
For example, fusion can fail if there is not enough support to hold the spine while it is fusing. Surgeons use metal screws to hold the spine while it fuses. But metal can break. In unstable spines, it is often a question of which will occur first -; the spine fusing or the metal failing.
Even in surgeries that go according to plan, only 50 to 80 percent of spinal fusion patients report improvement. When patients still experience pain after surgery, doctors diagnose them with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS).
FBSS can be difficult to treat because it is often hard to find what is causing the pain. The more levels that are fused, and the more surgeries that are done, the less likely any further surgical intervention is going to be successful.
Arthroscopic alternatives to open surgery, such as The Bonati Procedures, offer the least invasive option to traditional open, and fusion, surgeries. These procedures allow for greater precision, using the smallest incision possible to correct FBSS, resulting in less tissue trauma and blood loss. Patients remain under local anesthesia, so they are able to communicate with the surgeon throughout their surgery.
Even patients with failed spinal hardware can experience relief. Minimal access techniques allow surgeons to remove misdirected hardware with less pain and scarring, and no complications.
To learn more about how the Bonati Procedures allow patients to regain their mobility and quality of life, visit www.bonati.com or call (866) 298-7513.
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