Spinal Fusion Surgery often leads to Adjacent Segment Disease
<p>For over 30 years, Dr Parker Neill, Dr Abbie Swank and Dr. Timothy Swank, has been serving the people of Cary and surrounding areas. We offer affordable Spinal Decompression treatment for patients suffering from conditions relating to herniated and protruding discs, facet problems and more. You'll be pleased to discover... more
Adjacent segment disease (ASD) is a spinal disorder that may develop after surgical spinal fusion.
The spinal column is a stack of motion segments, each unit consisting of a sandwich made up of a vertebrae above, a disc in the middle & a vertebrae below. Motion segments work as a unit to absorb & distribute forces similar to the shock absorbers on a car. If one of the shocks is damaged or fails to move, it will adversely affect the ride & cause additional stress on the remaining shocks.
In the case of back surgery, when the spine is fused; the motion segment will no longer move. Therefore, the motion segments above & below the spinal fusion must compensate for lost motion at the fused level(s). These adjacent joints are subjected to additional stress which leads to accelerated wear, tear & failure.
ASD is just one of the risks of spine surgery; additionally there may be complications from anesthesia, infections, hardware fracture, spinal cord injuries.
Before consenting to spinal surgery, consult with Triangle Spinal Decompression. Discover why we stand out as the premier choice for the conservative treatment of herniated, bulging or slipped discs in the Cary, Morrisville, Raleigh & Apex areas.
