ADR and Fusion combined??

[jessmith07]

I have heard of ADR and fusions being done in conjunction with each other, but I don't think that fusing on either side of the ADR would help. One of the purposes of doing ADR surgery is to help protect the adjacent levels, and so putting the ADR in the middle of two fusions on either side would defeat this point (IMHO).

Have you considered leaving the country and having all three bad discs replaced with ADR's? In the US, there are only a handful of doctors who will do more than one level, because the FDA has only approved a single level at both the cervical and lumbar areas. However, in Europe, hey have been successfully performing multi-level ADR's for quite some time.

My doctor, Dr. Bertagnoli in Straubing, Germany, did my two-level lumbar ADR three months ago, and I am 99% pain-free and have been since about 5 weeks post-op. I was off all pain meds within 3 weeks of my surgery. When choosing a surgeon, be sure to find out his/her experience level, as I believe that makes all the difference.

If leaving the country is not an option, I'm sure there are many people here that can give you names of US doctors who can perform this surgery for you, however, you may still have to travel, as there are only a few really good ones.

Good luck!
Jess