ARE YOU A CANDIDATE FOR THIS SURGERY?
We can determine your candidacy for total disc replacement during a physical examination at our Long Island office. To begin, we will order an X-ray to identify the extent of your pain and spinal damage, and to determine if your condition is appropriate for this procedure. In some cases, we may also order an MRI or CT scan to gather additional information that can aid in this process.
In general, we will recommend total disc replacement if you:
- Experience chronic back pain that is caused by one or two intervertebral discs
- Have pain that is not responsive to conservative treatments
- Experience weakness or numbness in your arms and legs
- Have no facet joint disease or spinal nerve compression
- Are not significantly overweight or obese
- Suffer from neck pain and stiffness
- Have not had prior spine surgery
- Do not have spinal deformities
THE PROCEDURE
Total disc replacement is done under general anesthesia and takes about two to three hours to complete.
For lumbar disc replacement in your lower back, we will create an incision in your abdomen and move your organs and blood vessels aside. This allows us to access the spine without interfering with the adjacent nerves. From there, we will open and expose the disc space, remove the problematic material, and replace it with an artificial disc.
For cervical disc replacement, we will create an incision in the front of your neck. Through that opening, we will move muscles and tissue in the area aside. From there, we will remove the problematic disc and replace it with an artificial one.