Degenerative Disc Disease SurgeryDegenerative Disc Disease Surgery Procedures
Surgery aimed at resolving
degenerative disc disease
concerns typically falls into 2 basic categories. The first is
artificial disc replacement.
This relatively new operation represents an alternative choice and an enlightened approach in spinal surgeries. The idea of the procedure is to replace old and work out discs with new synthetic discs, maintaining the form and function of the spinal column. Individual vertebral level movement is preserved and the patient should not suffer any physical limitations once healed. The more common surgical solution calls for spinal fusion. This barbaric procedure is ridiculous in theory and is fundamentally flawed. Fusions often do not often cure any pain, but do create many structural concerns in the spine. A fusion will exponentially increase stress on surrounding vertebral levels, causing muscular problems and escalating progressive degenerative effects. These effects are most commonly treated by additional fusion procedures, until the patient is truly very limited in what they can achieve physically. Furthermore, many patients report worse pain postoperatively than before… Degenerative Disc Disease Surgery OptionsPatients should never rush into surgery and should always do their research on surgical options, even if they have decided on an invasive treatment. Do not allow any doctor to make your choices for you, but instead, consider the opinions of several care providers, as well as your own. Beware of doctors who make threats of paralysis or permanent disability... These are typical psychological tactics used to get you under the knife ASAP… Degenerative Disc Disease Surgery AdviceSurgeons operate. This is their job. Patients write to me every week telling me that a surgeon told them they should have an operation. What do you expect? Come on people… I was told by a few surgeons that a surgical procedure was definitely in my future. I was scared to death by this prospect and this fear drove me to research back pain like few before have done. I devoted myself to the study full time and learned MUCH. Now that I have used this knowledge to cure my pain, it gives me great satisfaction to have proven these surgeons wrong… especially the one who had such doom and gloom to say about my future prognosis. Sorry doc, but you are not going to pay your bills at the expense of my health! No Way. No How. Find another sucker…Remember, DDD is rarely the actual source of chronic pain. It is merely a scapegoat used to explain symptoms when other structural concerns are absent. It is so prevalent as a diagnosis, since it is virtually universal in the general adult population. It is essentially a surgeon’s dream come true… Just don’t let it become YOUR NIGHTMARE!!! 11/2/09
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