Back Pain Treatment - Is Spinal Fusion the Final Option For Back Pain Relief?
Back pain can be treated in a number of different ways and unfortunately there are times when surgery seems to be the only option.
Depending upon your particular condition, there are several types of surgical procedures that can be done in order to help you with your back problem.
One of the more common surgical procedures is spinal fusion.
In our youth we enjoy relatively good spinal health.
This is because the vertebrae work independently of each other and when we are young, the discs that are in between the vertebrae are more pliable.
Age and injury can cause the discs to deteriorate and weaken resulting in degenerative disc disease or disc herniation.
For some people, the discs have deteriorated to the point where there is nothing in between the vertebrae in order to prevent them from contacting each other.
This can create a very painful situation as bone is rubbing against bone, perhaps pinching nerves in the process.
Other sources of back pain include spinal tumors, scoliosis, or fractures in the vertebrae.
So if the movement of the vertebrae needs to be restricted in order to stop or reduce the back pain, and other conservative methods have not proved successful, then spinal fusion may be required.
Spinal fusion is a procedure in which two or more of the vertebrae are fused together in order to create a single segment that does not move.
For certain individuals spinal fusion can give almost immediate relief, although there is always the risk of post surgical complications as well as the possibility that the spinal surgery is not successful in correcting the back pain problem.
Some spinal fusion patients have said that while the spinal fusion surgery was successful in relieving their back pain in the short term, the fused vertebral segment now puts additional stress on the adjacent vertebrae which may give rise to the need for additional spinal fusion surgery.
The information in this article is not meant to replace the advice of your personal health care professional.
Be sure to talk over with your physician your options and alternatives before taking any medical course of action.
Depending upon your particular condition, there are several types of surgical procedures that can be done in order to help you with your back problem.
One of the more common surgical procedures is spinal fusion.
In our youth we enjoy relatively good spinal health.
This is because the vertebrae work independently of each other and when we are young, the discs that are in between the vertebrae are more pliable.
Age and injury can cause the discs to deteriorate and weaken resulting in degenerative disc disease or disc herniation.
For some people, the discs have deteriorated to the point where there is nothing in between the vertebrae in order to prevent them from contacting each other.
This can create a very painful situation as bone is rubbing against bone, perhaps pinching nerves in the process.
Other sources of back pain include spinal tumors, scoliosis, or fractures in the vertebrae.
So if the movement of the vertebrae needs to be restricted in order to stop or reduce the back pain, and other conservative methods have not proved successful, then spinal fusion may be required.
Spinal fusion is a procedure in which two or more of the vertebrae are fused together in order to create a single segment that does not move.
For certain individuals spinal fusion can give almost immediate relief, although there is always the risk of post surgical complications as well as the possibility that the spinal surgery is not successful in correcting the back pain problem.
Some spinal fusion patients have said that while the spinal fusion surgery was successful in relieving their back pain in the short term, the fused vertebral segment now puts additional stress on the adjacent vertebrae which may give rise to the need for additional spinal fusion surgery.
The information in this article is not meant to replace the advice of your personal health care professional.
Be sure to talk over with your physician your options and alternatives before taking any medical course of action.
