There are many spinal disorders and injuries that require surgery for treatment. This is because such conditions are severe and show no response to conventional non-surgical methods. Certain cases of spinal injuries/disorders are treated using spinal fusion as it is the standard procedure for several spinal conditions.

This post will talk about spinal fusion in detail along with its procedure and the conditions for which it is recommended.

The advancement in spinal surgeries has given a boost to spine orthopedic surgeons and improved the success rate. Besides this, newer and better orthopaedic implants have been introduced into the market that are specifically designed to be used during spinal surgeries. Let us have a look at what spinal fusion is.

Spinal Fusion – An Overview

Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure that is recommended to relieve painful symptoms associated with the condition. Pain is often experienced in the lower back and neck, and in certain cases, only surgery can provide relief.

During spinal fusion, the surgeon removes the damaged/diseased spinal disc and fuses the vertebrae using a bone-forming material, especially a bone graft. Sometimes, an intervertebral cage is also used along with the bone graft to fill the gap formed after the removal of the damaged intervertebral disc.

Conditions for Which Spinal Fusion is Recommended

Spinal fusion aims at fusing two or more vertebrae and improving the stability of the spine. Some spinal conditions require fusion as no other treatment methods are found to be effective, those conditions may include:

Spinal Deformities

Deformities in the spine like scoliosis can be corrected by spinal fusion. Scoliosis is a condition characterized by a sideways curvature of the spine, and when physical therapy or other methods fail to improve the condition, spinal fusion is recommended.

Spinal Weakness or Instability

Overuse or excessive motion between two vertebrae can result in weakness or instability in the spine. This may also be experienced by people suffering from severe arthritis in the spine. To restore spinal stability, spinal fusion surgery may be performed.

Herniated Disc

A herniated disc is a condition characterized by a break or crack in one or more of the intervertebral discs. This results in the movement of the nucleus out through the cracks into the annulus. Such situations also require spinal fusion after the removal of the damaged disc.

The Procedure of Spinal Fusion

Spinal fusion is performed after giving general anesthesia to the patient so that he/she remains asleep during the whole procedure. The surgery requires an incision to be made, and the location for that will depend upon the affected region of the spine. Besides this, the technique used for spinal fusion also varies accordingly.

At first, the incision will be made by the surgeon based on the damaged disc to be removed. The incision can be made either on the neck, over the spine in the back, or the sides. The surgeon will now prepare the bone graft that is required to fuse vertebrae. In most cases, the graft is obtained from the pelvis region of the patient whereas, it can also be obtained from a donor.

The surgeon will now remove the damaged spinal disc and place a bone graft in the gap formed. Metal plates, rods, or screws may also be used to keep the graft in place and ensure a solid fusion.

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