Tag Archives: Scoliosis
When a patient has issues with scoliosis, fractured vertebrae, or any degenerative spine conditions such as cervical disk herniation it is sometimes necessary to have spinal fusion surgery.
During a traditional spinal fusion operation bone is harvested from the pelvis of the patient. Because there are various risks and issues with this method there is a lot of interest in the medical community to develop an alternative procedure. Researchers are working on developing a substitute for using the patients own bone as a graft for spinal fusion.
One issue with using the patients own bone is that it is painful and the surgery can potentially cause other complications such as infection, bleeding, or possibly long-term pain. Another issue is that sometimes the bone fails to fuse. The risk for failure to fuse is especially high for patients within certain risk categories. Overweight patients, smokers, and patients who have had multiple spinal surgeries are at a higher risk of fusion failure.
There are new developments in bone graft research that are supplying several types of graft substitutes. Some can be used as an option to the patients own bone, and some can be used in combination with it.
What Is Spinal Fusion Surgery?
Spinal Fusion surgery is a procedure in which vertebrae are fused together to prevent a painful movement at the joint. Inserting a piece of bone between the vertebrae and encouraging the bone to grow accomplish this process, fusing the vertebrae together, preventing movement between them and eliminating the pain. To eliminate movement, this process is repeated in the spaces above and below the target vertebra, isolating it from moving entirely.
Who Would Be A Good Candidate?
Spinal Fusion surgery is a method of treating several problems with the spinal column. Some of those problems include (but are not limited to):
· Degenerative Disc Disease
· A Weak or Unstable Spine
· Scoliosis
· When a Vertebra Slips Out of Place in the Spinal Column
· Deformities
These are some of the most common conditions under which a patient should talk to a doctor regarding their options on spinal fusion surgery. If a patient is experiencing severe back pain, s/he should immediately talk to a doctor to determine the cause and location of the pain to know how to best take care of the problem.
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