Addressing Degenerative Disc Disease: Navigating Your Surgical Options

Degenerative spine disease causes serious pain in the neck or lower back even following treatments. That is why sufferers may consider getting surgery. If you have this condition, your surgical options include artificial disc replacement surgery and spinal fusion surgery. Keep in mind that your choice is quite essential to your health. A degenerative spine surgeon can educate you about these surgical options, so you can make the best choice.

What to Know About Degenerative Disc Disease

The rubber discs between the bones in your spine are meant to absorb shock. Also, they serve as spacers that let the nerves and nerve roots pass through spinal column holes and spaces. In addition, intervertebral discs let the spinal column bones move independently, letting the back or neck bend, twist, and flex. 

Sadly, spinal discs break down when you age, and injuries and diseases can make it worse. If this breakdown results in symptoms, it is known as degenerative disc disease. This condition is back or neck pain due to generative spinal disc. 

Nonsurgical Treatments for Degenerative Disc Disease

The majority of those who have degenerative disc disease get non-surgical treatments initially. Unless spine surgery is needed urgently, conservative treatments for neck and lower back pain are administered. These treatments include heat and ice, manual manipulation, pain relievers like naproxen or ibuprofen, massage therapy, physical therapy, and steroid injections. Thankfully, these treatments help most patients achieve relief from their symptoms. But if these conservative treatments do not work, spine surgery is often the best solution. 

Addressing Unmanageable Pain

Degenerative disc disease may cause extremely unmanageable pain that conservative treatments cannot address. In this case, surgery may be necessary. The surgery is performed to get rid of the diseased disc, stopping the symptom. Below are two surgical procedures to address the condition:

• Spinal fusion surgery. This type of surgical procedure removes the diseased disc, leaving a room between the vertebral discs. The space left can’t stay as it is, so spinal bone fusion must take place. This fusion occurs with bone grafts, hardware, or artificial bone material. It does not take place right away since the bones must heal or knit. After the solid fusion of the bones, the spine in this area becomes rigid, supporting the head or body. Meanwhile, since the fused bones can’t move relative to one another, overall spinal movement is decreased. 
• Artificial disc replacement. This procedure also involves the removal of the diseased disc. Bone fusion is not achieved with this surgery.  Instead. an artificial disc is inserted into the space created between the vertebral discs to absorb shock, allowing the vertebral bones to move. This procedure allows for a faster healing process than spinal fusion surgery. 

Which Surgery is Right for You?

Picking the surgical procedure to address your degenerative disc disease is important. Thus, you should involve your surgeon and family in making a decision. Also, it helps to do your homework. Not anyone can get artificial disc replacement. Those who have osteoporosis, some kinds of cancer, or other bone disease can only get spinal fusion surgery. If you are eligible for either procedure, compare both options before you choose. 

Spinal fusion surgery can be performed by all spine surgeons, offering good relief from pain. But recovery from this procedure takes a long time. Sometimes, bone fusion fails, limiting spinal flexibility and motion. 

In addition, not all spine surgeons perform artificial disc replacement. Keep in mind that you may need to get the devices replaced after 70 years. But recovery times are fast, effectively relieving neck and back pain. This surgery restores significant cervical or lumbar spine mobility, strength, and flexibility.