Degenerative Disc disease suregery procedure?!


Question: Degenerative Disc disease suregery procedure!?
I need to know the exact procedure during the DDD surgery!. Anyone know it!? My father got it done awhile back and he can't remember the process!.
He had the procedure done where they put bolts in his back and packed bones from his hip in to his back!.
please help!
thank-you!Www@Answer-Health@Com


Answers:
There are a few ways to go about this procedure, depending on which level is involved!. I won't be able to give you as good an answer as a spine specialist, but I can tell you what I know!.

The indication to do this procedure is that the disk is extruding, and it's impinging on nerves, causing loss of function!. This is much less successful (MUCH) when it's done for pain!. The general rule of thumb is that surgery isn't done for pain!.!.!. but it still happens that way, anyhow, some of the time!. The reason for this is that the results for relieving pain are poor compared to the result for restoring nerve and muscle function when the impingement starts to cause weakness!.

The level at which nerve impingement is causing problems is determined by detailed physical exam and is confirmed by MRI!. The intervertebral disk is made out of an outer ring called the "annulus" and an inner soft core called the "nucleus pulposus"!. The problem is that the nucleus material can start to rupture out of the center and extrude toward the exact spot where the spinal nerves are exiting from the spine!. The nerves are exiting through a bony canal and they have nowhere to go to get out of the way of the herniated disk material!.

The operation is done to remove the disk material and free up the nerve!. Since all of the disk material needs to be removed, something else has to be put in it's place!. The technique of placing bone graft is a way to cause the bones to fuse together and maintain the separation between them, which is responsible for making the space through which the nerve goes!. If the bones were allowed to collapse together after the disk was removed, they'd just end up pinching the nerve again, but this time with bone!

The operation starts with getting access to the disk!. There are a variety of approaches, depending on where in the spine the surgery is taking place!. In the neck, the operation is often done from the front, in the mid to low back, the operation usually occurs from the back!.

The spinal level of interest is accessed, and is then verified by xray!. Nobody wants to operate on the wrong level! The nerves are carefully and gently retracted and protected as the disk material gets scooped out!.

Bone graft is harvested from the "iliac crest" which is edge of the fan shaped wing of bone that makes up each side of the pelvis!. Both the hard outer shell of the bone and the marrow are obtained!.

Many surgeons will use a titanium ring referred to as a "cage" that is made in various sizes, and they'll pack it with the bone graft material and wedge it into the space between the bony vertebral bodies, where the disk was removed!. The titanium will help hold the bones apart the correct distance while the bone graft heals in!.

Screws are used to stabilize the bony structures together so that there will be minimal movement while the bone graft fuses!. Sometimes there are rods used to stabilize across spinal levels, or plates, depending on the spinal level!.

After the spine has been fixated, the incision is closed in layers!.

Following surgery, detailed neurologic examinations are performed to document any changes for the better or worse, in the distribution of the nerves that were being injured by the disk!. Typically, when this operation is done for lesions in the low back, this represents an examination of the strength of the leg and the foot!.

I hope that helps!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

Uuugh!.!.!.sounds painful!. These days they do laser surgery and it's a matter of moving the bones back into shape and place!. It's like having gaps and slanted or drooping bones that have to be put back into shape and moved into place!. I only know this because I have deg!.discs in my neck and back!. Inoperable because the neck bones are so small and closer together than the back but the doctor showed me structural samples of the neck bone and the spine and explained the process!. That's why it's probably easier and safer to do it with laser!. When I checked surgeons online, if you're inclined you could too, they all say laser surgery - Thank God!.!.!. Couldn't imagine going through the process you describe!.
Hope this helps - You should have a chat with a doctor - they're the pros on this!. And you can get info online or direct with the surgeon via email - consultations are free!.Www@Answer-Health@Com





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