|  | Surgeries Operations | Surgeries

About Lumbar Spinal Fusion

Lumbar spinal fusion is a type of surgery used for degenerative disc disease. Degenerative disc disease is a major culprit in lower backaches and pains. This surgery entails placing tiny pieces of bone either at the front or the back portion of the spine. This is done to ensure that the bone starts to grow together and fuses that section of the spine. The fusion is done in order to get rid of any type of movement within the fused section of the spine, therefore reducing the backache that resulted from it in the first place.

  1. Function

    • Lumbar spinal fusion is conducted in order to stop pain, tingling, numbness and weakness; regulate nerve-related functions; and prevent odd spinal motions from occurring. By fusing the vertebrae together, the majority of these symptoms can be significantly relieved.

    Types of Lumbar Spinal Fusion

    • There are two different types of lumbar spinal fusion. One type is in front of the spine, and the other is done behind it. With the former surgery, the doctor takes out the disc and inserts a bone graft in-between the vertebrae. Then, with some time, it will fuse to the vertebrae around it and result in the end of the bothersome motion. With the other type of fusion, a bone graft is placed on both of the vertebral sides in order for it to grow as one and eliminate the odd movement.

    Reasons

    • The main reasons for a person opting for a lumbar spinal fusion surgery are sciatica and pain in the legs. Sciatica is a sharp pain that runs along the leg's nerve pathway. These types of pain are often due to herniated lumbar discs that are responsible for pressure on at least one of the spinal nerves. Irregular vertebral motion might also cause the leg aches.

    Complications

    • There are (as with any other type of surgery) some possible complications associated with lumbar spinal fusion. Some of these complications include the development of a distended abdomen (resulting in the inability to eat), wound infections, urinary issues, pain at the bone-graft insertion site, blood clots in the lungs and phlebitis in the legs.

    Other Conditions

    • Although degenerative disc disease is probably the most common condition treated by lumbar spinal fusion surgery, the surgery also is used to treat people suffering either from arthritis or spondylolisthesis, which is an ailment in which the vertebrae accidentally slip over another one, resulting in damage to the spinal nerves.

Surgeries - Related Articles