ADR-Damaged Facet Syndrome

[Sonata]

Hello Sharman

Thank you for this info. It's good to know everything when you are an ADR candidate (like me). I have been to various websites about Rosen and have read the news section http://www.charlesrosenmd.com/press.php . It is so sad to see how some play around with patients for money. I really wonder if they would have invested all that money in testing human to human disc transplantation, how advanced the treatment would have become today..no screws, no metals..just the natural thing back into your body. The preliminary trials coming from China look promising but still a long waaay to go before it can become available. But it certainly wouldn't generate enough money/profit for the companies and parties who are more interested in their financial gain than doing a favor for the human race. It's sad.

Lucky for those whose ADRs are doing a good job. I really would love to hear from those who had cervical ADRs and big success 5 years after replacement.


Sonata

[jinya85]

Thank you so much for this information. I had ADR surgery March 2009 at C5-C6. I had tried physical therapy as well as 3 blocks...all unsuccessful for a herniated disc. I had experienced pain in my neck and shoulder blade as well as down my arm. They told me this was all due to the herniated disc. The numbness in my hand and pain in my arm vanished immediately after surgery. However, the pain in my neck and shoulder blade has never subsided and has, over the last year, increased so significantly that I feel worse off than when I began. Since my surgery was done out of the country I have not been able to talk to well informed doctors. The last visit I had, we noticed that my ability to move my neck (specifically upwards) has diminished greatly. The doctor believes that I have Facet Syndrome. He also believes that I had this prior to having the ADR surgery, but the symptoms were overlooked.
My question, I guess, since this seems to happen to others as well, is what do I do now. I am allergic to pain killers, so I have had to take days off work so that I can lay down and wear a neck brace, but even that does not stop the muscle spasms.
Has there been any research that you've found about what my options are?

[dshobbies]

These are my understandings only;

ADR implantation can worsen or cause facet deterioration, the Charite specifically, perhaps others as well. Was there any deterioration before implantation and was ADR surgery contra-indicated but performed regardless?

Choosing your doctor carefully is probably the single most important decision in back surgery (and others as well), but also does not guarantee positive results.

My research also revealed the risk of adjacent segment deterioration is slowed, not stopped, with ADR implantation. Long term studies are hard to find because ADRs haven't been around that long. However, absolutely everyone is different and success rates vary from person to person. Surgery performed on less than an ideal candidates skews all studies - and having had two previous surgeries, I was less than an ideal candidate myself with an ADR success rate of 60-70% for which I am still grateful. From what I've read, most ADR candidates are less than ideal which would probably involve a virgin back injury.

ADRs and other disc/facet remedies are still in their infancy. Not enough is known about nerves. In fact, modern medicine in its entirety hasn't been around very long. The use of lasers is also relatively new.

The fact is, back or other sufferers can only utilize the knowledge at hand. We can wait a year or more for something new on the horizon or 5-10 years for something even newer, suffering all that time - or we can educate ourselves as best as possible on the current remedies, make our decisions based on what we feel is best, and then hope for the best. Some results will be disappointing, some maybe more debilitating but most offer some level of relief. Even choosing the best doctor and product guarantees nothing.

Discussions such as this one provide food for thought. But we all must keep in mind that today's advancements were not available yesterday and tomorrow's are not available today. In another 10-20 years ADRs may no longer be used in favor of the latest and greatest, or they may be so perfected as to guarantee a certain result - or not.

My father was lucky enough to be saved from pneumonia by a brand new drug - penicillin. Now those damned bugs are getting stronger. 65 years ago, saving premature babies in incubators caused blindness. 50 years ago, radiating tonsils instead of removing them now causes cancer and other health problems. 150 years ago, blood-letting caused death. Side effects are unknown until studied but we do have to keep on trying until medical sufferings are a piece of past history and people like us, trying something new, guina pigs though we might be, are medically necessary.

J85, welcome to the forum and I'm so sorry for your disappointing results. Even though your surgery was performed outside this country, you can still consult with American doctors. Dr. Regan, Los Angeles, comes to mind. You'll need current x-rays & MRI. You might want to contact Mark, GPN Artificial Disc Replacement ADR for assistance in internet consultations. Good luck,

Dale

[mmglobal]

Was the doctor's suspicion of facet pain confirmed with injections?