Morgans wrote:


"Matt Whiting" wrote

Have either of you looked into the new replacement disks that are now
in medical trials? I have several degenerated disks that I'm simply
living with so far and keeping at bay with exercise (I've forgotten
what it is like to be pain free) as I really don't want to lose
mobility which occurs with a fusion procedure.

I've been casually following these devices a hoping they become
mainstream before I can't take it any longer and have to do something.


Yes, and the candidate field is rather narrow. In my case, I was not a
candidate because of previous traditional surgery. Now, it is fused at
that level, so nothing else can be done, there.

That is my understanding also. That is one of the big reasons I'm
holding out.


From how it was explained to me, the level that would be replaced has
to be undisturbed by previous surgeries. The surrounding and muscle and
everything has to be strong, because that is all that holds the new disc
in place.

That isn't quite my understanding, but my understanding is admittedly
feeble in this area. What I've read says that they remove the OEM disk
and then cut away part of each surrounding vertebrate. The artificial
disk unit has essentially a partial titanium vertebrate on each side of
the polymer disk. This is glued (maybe also screwed, I don't know) to
the OEM bone vertebrate much the way artificial hips and knees are put
in. In this scenario, I'm not sure why they couldn't break apart a
fused area, but maybe it is simply too aggressive a procedure to do with
the spinal cord in the middle.


I wish that would have been an option, but it was not around when I had
my first surgery done.

Well, that is a bummer, but you did what you had to do when you had to
do it. Can't look back.

Matt