Double Disc Replacement Vs. Fusion

Back pain is a common occurrence as people age. Most commonly, the pain is dealt with through pain relievers. But, some patients require surgical intervention, through double disc replacement or fusion.

Identification

• Back pain is typically caused by the degeneration of the shock absorbers, or discs, between the vertebrae. Over time, they wear down and cause pain to the nerve endings, especially if bone scrapes bone.

Double Disc Replacement

• Double disc replacement involves surgery to implant two polyethylene discs between two separate sets of vertebrae. This allows the patient to have virtually the same function as with a real disc, with overall freedom of movement and rotation of the body.

Fusion

• Fusion involves surgery to implant actual bone from the patient in between the vertebrae. The bone eventually grows to connect to the vertebrae to complete the fusion process. Unfortunately, fusion involves less overall motion with the body due to the lack of flexibility of the bone connection.