Lumbar Artificial Disc Replacement, the human spinal cord is an engineered body part specifically designed and added to the body to provide support and maintain balance. But with age, this specially designed body part might fall prey to various age related issues and disorders which affect the spinal discs, the cushion like round structures between the spines. This negative impact on the spinal discs may lead to affected balance, back pain (especially in the lower back) and hence a degraded life quality.
What about the solution, is there any? Lumbar artificial disc replacement surgery is the process used to address and get rid of various disc related issues of the spinal.
Need of Lumbar Artificial Disc Replacement
Lumbar spine is nothing but a collection of 5 spinal bones, i.e., vertebrae in the lower back of your body. They are separated by the intervertebral discs present between the vertebrae.
Location – Between the ribcage and the pelvic bone.
Functions of the Intervertebral Discs – Allow rotation, bending and flexibility of the spine by acting as shock absorbers.
Possible causes of damage – Rising age, physical inactivity, traumatic back injuries. Unhealthy life habits such as smoking and alcohol consumption could worsen the condition.
Symptoms of Damage – Reduced flexibility, affected balance, immense pain which can also be chronic in some cases which remain undiagnosed and untreated.
Form of Treatment – Lumbar Artificial Disc
Replacement (LADR)
Here is where Lumbar Artificial Disc Replacement comes in action. It is a form of lower back or spine surgery which involves the replacement of the damaged disc present in your lower back or lower part of the spinal cord with a disc which is artificial in nature, generally made up of metal blended with plastic and is performed after giving a dose of general anesthesia to the patient being a major surgery.
The core differentiator is that LADR focuses on reestablishing motion and flexibility unlike Spinal Fusion which completely restricts any movement of the affected area/segment of the spine/associated discs which hence avoids the risk of adjacent degeneration of the affected segment making LADR a revolutionary alternative in the spinal surgery field.
What is the Procedure of Lumbar Artificial Disc Replacement Surgery?
- Firstly, the surgeon makes a small incision either in the neck or the abdomen of the patient who has already undergone a dose of general anesthesia.
- The surgeon then carefully removes the degenerated/damaged lumbar intervertebral disc.
- Then the surgeon with utmost care places the Lumbar Artificial Disc in place replacing the previously damaged disc which ultimately restores the spinal balance, alignment and hence the functions.
How to get ready for a Lumbar Artificial Disc Replacement Surgery?
Get under an expert Surgeon
Getting under an expert surgeon is what you need to make sure which automatically minimises the surgical complications.
Clean Surroundings & Complete Isolation
The surgical team of doctors and the other staff should make sure that the surgery is being performed in a clean environment to protect the patient from any infection and related complications.
Get Your Full-body Examined
Get yourself examined completely by your doctor, make the surgeon aware about the allergies or sensitivities you might be having, before the surgery.
Individual Treatment
Every patient should be treated individually and with proper attention and care which reduces the risk of device migration or improper disc implant leading to the potential cause of the Lumbar Artificial Disc Replacement Surgery failure.
Conclusion
We now reach to a conclusion that LADR proves to be one of the most effective treatments of the chronic lower back pain potentially caused due to degenerative lumbar disc diseases and other lower back pain conditions that lead to a damaged lumbar disc.
Unlike Spinal Fusion, LADR focuses on reestablishing motion and flexibility as the former completely restricts any movement of the affected area/segment of the spine/associated discs. LADR avoids the risk of adjacent degeneration of the affected segment making it a revolutionary alternative in the spinal surgery field.
LADR has an upper hand over the traditional forms of treatments and surgeries as it focuses upon pain relief and restoring the necessary functions of the lower spine and the associated discs. With an expert surgeon and proper post-surgical monitoring, a patient can return back to his/her normal life with a healthy and functioning spine with ease with the help of Lumbar Artificial Disc Replacement.
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