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Disc Replacement

What Is Disc Herniation?

If a patient has a herniated or ruptured disc in his or her back, disc replacement can eliminate the symptoms and improve the patient’s quality of life. This procedure is an alternative to other options, including spinal fusion surgery. Dr. Jon Gottlieb is proud to offer disc replacement to patients in South Miami, Florida, and the surrounding area.

Appointment

What is disc replacement?

Disc replacement surgery is a procedure designed to relieve the symptoms of herniated discs. During this procedure, Dr. Gottlieb replaces your damaged intervertebral disc with a prosthetic disc. This procedure differs from spinal fusion surgery, which involves the fusing of two or more vertebrae together to eliminate symptoms.
When a herniated disc is severe, it can press on nearby nerves, which leads to pain and other uncomfortable symptoms. Disc replacement surgery removes the damaged disc, thus eliminating all of these problems.
During a disc replacement procedure, you’ll be under general anesthesia, so you won’t feel any pain or remember anything about the surgery. Dr. Gottlieb will make an incision so he can access the damaged disc or discs. After removing the damaged discs, Dr. Gottlieb will replace them with artificial ones. Once the procedure is complete, you’ll be moved to recovery. You’ll need to stay in the hospital for a few days after your surgery.

Like every surgery, disc replacement poses some risks. For example, there’s a small risk that you may have a bad reaction to the anesthesia or that you may get an infection. Excessive bleeding is also a risk. Other risks of disc replacement surgery include

  • Stiffness in the spine

  • Poor positioning of the implant

  • Narrowing of the spine

  • Loosening of the implant

  • Failure of the implant

  • Dislocation of the implant

Dr. Gottlieb will explain all of these risks to you before scheduling or performing the procedure.

After the procedure, you’ll recover in the hospital for a few days before returning home. The staff will teach you how to do exercises designed to facilitate healing and keep your spine limber. Dr. Gottlieb will also tell you what kind of activities you need to avoid while you recover. Your entire recovery may take a few weeks or a few months. In general, recovery from disc replacement surgeries doesn’t take as long as recovery from other types of back surgery.

For further information on your condition, please refer to this link: 

www.aaos.org