Difference in Cervical & Lumbar Disc Replacement Surgery

Disc Replacement

Disc replacement surgery is a medical procedure that includes replacing of a painful disc with an artificial disc. Disc Replacement surgery can be done on the lower back known as lumbar spine disc replacement or the neck called as cervical spine disc replacement. Artificial discs are intended to work similarly as the natural disks do. Artificial disc replacement (ADR) procedure is also known as a total disc Arthroplasty or total disc replacement (TDR) usually done for patient with a cervical disc herniation who have not responded to other traditional nonsurgical treatment options.

Disc Replacement Surgery can be done in the cervical or lumbar spine.  The results are generally better in the cervical spine surgery than the lumbar spine surgery.  Disc replacement Surgery is an alternative method used instead of spinal fusion.  Ideally, disc replacement helps in preserving the motion and reduce the adjacent section degeneration.  However, these benefits are largely based on researches and studies and not been proven right so far. In disc replacement procedure the natural disc is removed and replaced with a motion preservation device placed into the disc space that enables for flexion/extension and rotation through the device.  The bone of the vertebrae grow into the devices surface holding it in place.

Common Indications For A Disc Replacement Surgery

A patient must have a troublesome cervical disc, which may be causing severe arm pain, weakness of the arm or numbness, and/or creating some degree of neck pain. These signs may occur due to a herniated disc and/or osteophytes squeezing adjacent nerves or the spinal cord. This condition mostly occurs at cervical spine levels C4-C5, C5-C6, or C6-C7 parts.

 

Difference Between Cervical and Lumbar Disc Replacement

Cervical disc replacement is a medical procedure that includes removal of an injured or degenerated cervical disc and replacing it with a new artificial disc device.  Cervical discs act as cushions or shock absorbers between the vertebras of the cervical spine.  Discs that are damaged due to trauma or degeneration can be a source of chronic pain.  If a portion of a disc moves out of its normal position it causes pressure on the central spinal cord or on the individual nerve roots that move out from the spinal canal at each vertebral level.  With time, the body starts reacting towards a disrupted disc and bone spurs called osteophytes are formed which can cause pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots. 

A lumbar disk replacement is a surgical procedure performed as part of back surgery. It includes replacing of a damaged or degenerated disc in the lower part of the spinal cord with an artificial disc made of metal or a combination of metal and plastic. Lumbar disk replacement surgery is a relatively new medical procedure used to treat chronic back pains. The lumbar artificial disc is available in a various sizes and angles which are constrained and unconstrained designs. The constrained devices offer a fixed area of rotation that doesn’t change whereas the unconstrained design allows the disc to move forward and back to some extent during lumbar motion. The surgeon can also choose an artificial disc with the correct angle for individual patient in order to build in the right amount of spinal curve.

Tips To Follow After A major Surgery

Risks Of The Procedure

Disk replacement surgery is although a safe procedure, but it carries some risks. Some possible complications you may experience include – wound infections, anesthesia reactions, bleeding, blood clots, stroke, nerve injury, spinal fluid leak, broke disc and you may also face difficulty in swallowing and experience a voice change.

Cervical And Lumbar Disc Replacement In India

IndianMedTrip offers best cost effective medical packages to the international patients visiting India for their Disc Replacement surgeries. IndianMedTrip is associated with various hospitals providing treatments for spine surgery on various diseases & disorders. IndianMedTrip also offers support for various spine surgery treatment options like Cervical Disc Replacement Surgery, Anterior Cervical Discectomy, Cervical Spine Surgery, Cervical Corpectomy, Endoscopic Micro Discectomy (MED), Minimally Invasive Anterior Cervical Discectomy Anterior, Cervical Corpectomy Spine Surgery, Laser Spine Surgery, Posterior Cervical Discectomy, & Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. At IndianMedTrip you can find medical packages at the lowest customized according to individual needs.