When to Consider an Artificial Disc Replacement

Experiencing chronic neck pain or back pain can prevent you from participating in your daily chores effectively. Usually, this kind of pain is unresponsive to pain medication, alternative treatments, and home remedies. In most cases, it could be due to a damaged or unhealthy intervertebral disc. If that is the case, artificial disc replacement is recommended to provide permanent relief, thus allowing you to resume your daily chores. Therefore, if you are experiencing chronic neck or back pain and want to undergo total disc replacement Glendale to provide relief, it is essential to determine if you qualify for the procedure. Some of the conditions that require artificial disc replacement include the following:

  • Degenerative disc disease

Suffering from a degenerative disc disease makes one experience neck or back pain resulting from the degeneration of their spinal disc. Even though pain is the most common symptom experienced by people diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, others also experience weakness, numbness, or shooting pain in their legs and arms. Usually, when you have a degenerative disc disease, you experience low-level chronic pain together with episodes of more severe pain possible. The prevalence of degenerative disease increases with age, with approximately eighty percent of adults developing it. The reason is that our bodies often undergo wear and tear as you age, which also deteriorates spinal discs. In this case, using artificial disc replacement helps replace damaged discs, thus improving pain and restoring mobility.

  • Chronic cervical or back pain

Chronic pain refers to a pain level that is beyond tolerable levels. As said earlier, artificial disc replacement surgery effectively alleviates chronic cervical or back pain, especially after you have used other treatment options available and still no improvement is noted. Usually, low back pain is the leading cause of reduced participation in various activities, thus causing absenteeism at work. Additionally, persistent neck and back pain is quite uncomfortable, making it hard for you to carry out your daily chores effectively. An unhealthy or damaged spinal disc is one of the main causes of persistent or chronic neck or back pain. In such a case replacing the damaged spinal disc using total or partial artificial disc replacement may be your only solution. After which, you can resume your activities and work.

  • Herniated disc

Generally, a herniated disc occurs when the spinal disc’s soft center protrudes through a rupture or crack in the exterior casing. Even though some herniated discs might not cause noticeable symptoms, some can cause nearby spinal nerve irritation leading to numbness, chronic pain, and weakness. Of importance to note is that those individuals having a herniated disc might experience symptomatic relief from medication or physical therapy. However, if you have more severe herniated discs, you might require artificial disc replacement for relief. The symptoms of herniated discs vary depending on their severity and location. They mostly develop on your lower back and can also affect the upper and middle back, including your neck.

Suffering from disc disorders like herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and severe neck and back require artificial disc replacement surgery, especially if they are unresponsive to other forms of treatment. Therefore, you can book your appointment at HAAS Spine & Orthopaedics today if you have any of the above conditions.