Chronic back pain is a common problem in the world today and many Americans have become dependent on pain pills and frequent visits to the doctor. In some serious cases doctors may recommend a spinal fusion. The spinal fusion is a surgical procedure done by combining two or more vertebrae in the spine to help limit their mobility. This process leads to reduction of pain caused from the motion of the vertebrae. Spinal fusion is basically done in the lumbar section and can be effective in the treatment of thoracic and cervical complications.
Spinal fusion is commonly considered a "last resort" and is brought on by the patients' neurological trauma or intense pain and unresponsiveness to alternative forms of treatment. Some of the reasons that can lead to this conclusion include spinal tumors, spondylolisthesis, spinal disc herniation, scoliosis, spine instability and digestive disc diseases. However, despite the benefits this medical technique can bring about, it does have some major disadvantages which make it a risky procedure.
One of disadvantages of spinal fusion is that some patients after the completion of the procedure start suffering from severe or minor headaches. Some other common conditions include temporary or permanent numbness on one side of the body; pains in the lower muscles in the back and nerve damage. All these are after effects of spinal fusion which can easily be avoided by having its alternative, laser surgery.
Traditionally, surgical treatments for the spine had been invasive thereby leading to collateral damages of healthy tissues. Many times this has led to future complications resulting in further treatments and multiple surgeries. This led to the development of the laser surgery.
For people suffering from chronic back pain and those dependent on pain pills and other therapies such as injections, the use of the laser surgery should be considered. This revolutionary new medical procedure is essentially non invasive and creates an incision less than the width of a dime. Instead of using a scalpel to cut the herniated tissues, a precise laser beam is used to cut the tissues by evaporating those with high moisture content. This pinpoint process leads to far less bleeding and surrounding tissue damage. The procedure is non invasive, almost superficial leading to a quick recovery time of around 72 hours instead of months for a typical surgery like spinal fusion.
The typical spinal fusion procedure involves drilling your spine to make holes to be used in immobilizing the vertebrae and may involve implanting an artificial disc or support screws. The resulting trauma to the surrounding area can often create intense pain and may subsequently lead to a weakened spine, in some cases confining one to a wheel chair. On the other hand, with the laser surgery, there are no holes drilled on the spine and healthy tissues are not damaged as the disc is repaired, not removed. This superior process leads to a rapid recovery and the pain is significantly less. An additional benefit is that the patient normally gets discharged in less than five days unlike the spinal fusion surgery which can take weeks.
In addition to the whole procedure being less scary and painful, laser surgery is more economical. It has been known to cost 1/3 to 1/2 of the overall cost of spinal fusion. Moreover, due to the quick recovery of the patient, less money is spent in hospitals, time off work, and expensive medication to help relieve the pain caused by the surgery. This means that usually within a week, a laser spinal patient can go on to their daily duties as though nothing ever happened.
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