Self fusing discs-surgery or leave them?

JKDE302 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-27-2009, 12:33 AM

this thread is very informative....thank you

Eddie G · #2 (**permalink**) 07-27-2009, 04:47 AM

My Prodisc at L4-L5 is autofusing. A doctor at Johns Hopkins offered me injections and/or surgery (more of the same crap that hasn't helped me yet). My NY Surgeon doesn't want to keep cutting me open. My last surgery in November was awful and I don't want to go through any more surgeries. I'll have to live with the pain and hope for some miracle medical breakthrough from our miraculous medicinal massive.
Good Luck, I know how you feel!

Katie · #3 (**permalink**) 07-27-2009, 10:54 AM

So Eddy, they tried to do a fusion and it didn't work? Can you give me a few more details please? What do you mean that the last surgery was awful?

Sorry that you are in such misery.

mmglobal · #4 (**permalink**) 07-30-2009, 05:06 PM

I don't think there is any 'one size fits all' answer to most spine questions. I've seen literally dozens of adr procedures on completely collapsed disc spaces, including many autofusing segments. There really isn't any 'breaking of the fusion. The annulus and ligaments become more and more calcified, showing the autofusion halo on xray. The more calcified, the less flexible, but it's really not like solid bone and is not immovable (in the cases I've seen.)

These types of surgery require experience, finesse and patience on the surgeons part. It may be much more dangerous to 'brute force' your way to enough disc space to accomodate ADR or fusion cage; but much less dangerous for someone with a lot of experience to carefully release just enough of the annulus and ligaments necessary to achieve the appropriate disc hight, while preserving the necessary stability of the system.

Mark

Katie · #5 (**permalink**) 07-31-2009, 04:06 AM

I was assuming that the surgeon was also worried about causing a lot of new pain from stretching the ligaments, etc. so much? That is called distraction pain, isn't it?

Mark, thanks so much for the clarification on that. I thought that discs that auto-fused would be pretty solid. I'm glad you straightened that out for me. How often does that pain occur and how long might it last on average, taking into consideration that everyone is an individual. More levels done = more stretching and pain, I would think.

And Eddie, I see that I misquoted your post. Your Prodisc is starting to fuse? How is that possible? Is there an excessive amount of bone building up all around the disc so that it isn't moving like it should? I hadn't heard of that complication before.