When your lower back or neck pain comes from a damaged spinal disc, you may eventually need to consider surgery, but that doesn’t mean everyone with disc problems requires the same procedure.
Two common surgical options are artificial disc replacement and spinal fusion. Both relieve pain and improve function, but they work in very different ways.
At McNulty Spine in Las Vegas, Nevada, Dr. Patrick McNulty offers advanced surgical and nonsurgical treatment for spine conditions, including spinal fusion and, in select cases, disc replacement. Here’s a closer look at these procedures.
Both procedures usually start with the same problem: a damaged, worn, or herniated disc that’s causing pain, nerve compression, or loss of function.
The difference is what happens next.
With artificial disc replacement, Dr. McNulty removes the damaged disc and replaces it with an artificial implant designed to restore motion in your spine.
With spinal fusion, he removes the damaged disc and joins the surrounding vertebrae together so they heal into one stable segment.
The bottom line is that artificial disc replacement aims to preserve motion, while fusion eliminates motion.
Artificial disc replacement may be an option when the main issue is disc-related pain or nerve compression, but your spine is still otherwise stable.
Dr. McNulty considers it if you have:
The biggest advantage is motion preservation. Because the artificial disc allows for movement, it may help maintain more natural spinal mechanics after surgery.
In many ways, artificial disc replacement may be more beneficial than fusion for some people with lumbar degenerative disease.
Still, it is not right for everyone.
Dr. McNulty usually recommends spinal fusion when stability is the bigger concern.
That may include conditions such as spinal instability, deformity, spondylolisthesis, severe degeneration, certain cases of spinal stenosis, or situations where motion at the damaged segment contributes to the pain.
Fusion may sound more restrictive — and in one sense, it is. The treated segment no longer moves independently. But when abnormal movement is causing pain or threatening nerve function, that stability can be exactly what your spine needs.
You should never base your decision on preference alone.
Dr. McNulty evaluates the source of your pain, your imaging, your nerve symptoms, spinal alignment, instability, arthritis, activity level, and overall health before recommending a treatment plan.
For some, nonsurgical care may still be the best next step. For others, artificial disc replacement may preserve motion while relieving nerve pressure. And for those who need greater stability, spinal fusion may offer the most reliable path to long-term relief.
The key is understanding what problem needs to be solved: preserving motion, restoring stability, relieving nerve compression — or sometimes more than one of those at once.
If chronic back or neck pain is limiting your life, schedule an appointment with McNulty Spine in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dr. McNulty can help you understand your options and choose the treatment approach that makes the most sense for your condition.
