by Lewis Wuest

Created on: February 22, 2007

Artificial discs help back pain

Back pain and in particular low back pain strikes almost all of us from time to time. For some the pain becomes a permanent part of life and decisions have to be made about treatments and what a person is willing to give up to achieve relief.

In years past one of the treatments for collapsed or bulged discs that did not respond to other less intrusive treatments was the fusing of the two adjacent discs together to achieve the separation needed While many times this did provide some relief from the pain it led to a loss of mobility in that area of the back.

In the last few years another treatment has come along that promises to leave people with significantly more mobility than the fusing together of discs does. These are artificial discs that either partially or completely replace the old disc. There are a couple of manufacturers of artificial discs but the basic function is the same, to provide the proper separation between the vertebrae, hopefully relieving the constant pain, and still leave the patient with the ability to bend and twist.

To perform the surgery the doctor needs to get at the front part of the spine. He does this by making an incision in the patient's abdomen and then separating the internal organs until he has created a tunnel through which he can work on the spine. The old disc material which is sandwiched between two vertebrae is removed and the vertebrae are prepared to accept the new discs. The new disc which is a plastic or polyethylene material between two metal plates is placed into the space between the vertebrae and anchored in place. The incision is then closed and the patient is off to recovery.

The discs can allow a person to remain working and many times allows a person to again enjoy a more active pain free life.

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