Are you an ideal Candidate for Spinal Fusion Surgery?

The manner in which the beneficial effects of spinal fusion surgery relieve certain patients of low back pain associated with degenerative disc disease is not well understood. Indeed, some pain management and spine care physicians believe spinal fusion is ineffective as a treatment for chronic low back pain and do not recommend the procedure at all in the light of the risks of major surgery in general, and those of spinal fusion in particular.

In cases where spinal fusion is found to warrant serious consideration, the patient almost always will have suffered in excess of one year from severe, chronic low back pain and present observable indications of degenerative disc disease. Other neurological deficits in addition to severe pain may be present as well, and patients will have a history of failure to respond to more conservative approaches to pain management.

Additional indications leading to consideration of spinal fusion surgery include:

• Spinal disc herniation -- in which a tear or tears in a spinal disc ring result in the release of inflammatory chemical excretions which may directly cause severe pain.
   
• Spinal tumor -- which may not necessarily be cancerous; if abnormal swelling of benign or pre-cancerous spinal tumors present pain issues, spinal fusion may be considered as a treatment option.
   
• Vertebral fracture -- in which stabilization of the spine is sought to address weakening of the vertebral bone structure due to high force impact, osteoporosis, or other pathological bone fractures.
   
• Scoliosis -- an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine, which may be congenital or a secondary symptom of neuromuscular disease such as spina bifida, cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy.
   
• Kyphosis -- curvature of the upper (thoracic) spine, also known as "hunchback," which may be the result of arthritis, osteoporosis with vertebral compression fractures or severe trauma.
   
• Spondylosis -- in which the space between two adjacent vertebrae narrows, resulting in compression of a nerve root emerging from the spinal cord causing severe pain, motor dysfunction and even loss of bowel and/or bladder control.
   
• Any condition causing instability of the spine.