Have you been told you need a “fusion”?
When a fusion is done the basic principle is to “fuse” 2 (or more) bones together thereby eliminating the joint at that level. By eliminating the motion at that level, your range of motion can be potentially decreased or impaired. Also, the remaining levels that can still move have to make up for the ones that no longer can. This will potentially predispose these levels above or below the fusion to wear out sooner, a phenomenon known as “adjacent segment disease” (ASD).
There are alternatives to fusion surgery.
- Disc Replacement: Many times a disk can be replaced rather than fused, particularly in the cervical spine. Dr. Malone has been doing disk replacement surgery for over 2 decades.
- Cervical Laminoplasty: Laminoplasty surgery is an alternative to fusing multiple levels of the cervical spine. Rather than fusing multiple levels of the neck from the front, the spinal cord and nerves can be decompressed from the back by raising the roof of the spinal canal. Research has shown this surgery to be just as effective and have fewer complications. If you have been told you need more than 2 levels fused in the cervical spine, you may be a candidate for a laminoplasty.
Please refer to the links provided below for more information.
Basically, if your pain is coming from a pinched nerve rather than the joint itself then you may be a candidate for motion preservation surgery. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Malone to see if you are a candidate.