Spinal Fusion Procedure

spinal stenosis

A spinal fusion procedure is one of the most universal approaches to back surgery, regardless of the diagnosed source of symptoms. Fusion is used to treat abnormal spinal curvatures, vertebral alignment issues, advanced arthritic changes, extreme disc desiccation and a variety of bulging and ruptured disc concerns. If a condition is theorized to cause chronic back pain, it is likely to be a candidate for fusion surgery!

Fusion is one of the oldest forms of modern spinal surgery and is also one of the most common. Ironically, fusion is also one of the procedures which offers the absolute worst results when it comes to pain relief results. Statistically, surgeons view the fusion procedure as a success as long as the spine actually fuses. They do not consider pain relief to be a criterion for success or failure, but most patients do not know this fact when researching the operation. If patients knew what little hope they had of becoming and staying pain free after a spinal fusion procedure, the vast majority would turn and run...

Now, if this was the worst of the downside, it would be bad enough. However, the negative aspects of spinal fusion are just beginning to show themselves! Fusion, by nature, is against the natural law and design of the spine. The spinal column is a result of countless millions of years of evolutionary trial and error. It came to being since it proved itself the best way to support and protect a human (or other vertebrate animal), while still allowing mobility and flexibility. The spine is a jointed structure with each vertebrae allowed independent movement compared to surrounding levels. This is one of the main strengths of the design...

Spinal fusion procedures end this flexibility by inserting bone grafts and reinforcing metal hardware to prevent the movement between vertebral levels. Not only is this against the basic nature of the spine, but it has also been decisively proven to begin a destructive process as soon as the fusion bonds tightly... When vertebrae are fused, they impart an exponentially higher degree of stress to the vertebrae above (especially) and below the fusion. This stress causes the natural degenerative processes to speed up and intensify dramatically. The result is a domino effect of damage which multiplies throughout the spine, often resulting in additional fusions, which in turn continue to multiply the stress, ad nauseum, until the patient is utterly incapacitated.

Far worse still is the fact that there is NO PROOF at all that preventing vertebral movement helps in any way to stop pain. This fact is obvious to the millions of patients who have endured this invasive and barbaric operation only to feel worse. In fairness, I must tell the whole story, so here it is when it comes to statistics governing pain relief via spinal fusion procedure:

* Up to half of operated patients do not see marked relief or are worsened by the procedure. Some are damaged beyond repair.

* Many patients feel temporary relief for a few weeks to a few months, most likely due to surgical placebo or the powerful post-operative drugs used immediately after the surgery.

* A great majority of patients who do enjoy relief for a year or more will face a recurrence of pain, most often worse than the original condition, and many will undergo 2nd or 3rd spinal fusion procedures within 2 to 7 years time.

* A small minority of operated patients actually enjoy what could be called a cure for their pain, lasting more than 10 years.

* Spinal fusion procedures are the most common cause of failed back surgery syndrome and post-fusion patients have the fewest options for ever finding relief from their chronic symptoms.

* Fusion patients have the highest incidence of being "abandoned" by their surgeons after the procedure. Many doctors simply refuse to answer the continuing calls...

* Fusion patients are far less likely to be accepted as candidates for any other type of treatment, surgical or non-surgical, after a failed procedure.

Of all the many letters I receive every week, the most heartbreaking come from spinal fusion patients who are begging for advice on what to do now that they still have pain and have already gone to hell and back... As much as I wish to be able to answer these queries with some hope, I have yet to find it. The only positive advice I can give to anyone out there is to research the facts about fusion for yourself and understand the very great risks. Do not be misled into thinking this will be the end-all cure-all for your pain, since statistics clearly prove otherwise. Personally, I say to leave fusion as a completely last resort, for only extreme varieties of certain spinal conditions which would otherwise result in death due to organ failure or spinal instability.