Category Archives: Spinal Fusion Surgery

Spinal fusion was first performed in the early 1900s. Today, this commonly performed procedure can be done on all parts of the spine, including the seven bones that make up the cervical spine—better known as the neck. If cervical fusion has been recommended for you, here’s what you should ask when you have a pre-surgery […]

If spinal fusion surgery is in your immediate future and you’re among the nearly 40 million Americans who smoke, use your upcoming procedure as an excuse to kick the habit. The reason for this advice is the fact that the rate of non-fusion (pseudarthrosis) is twice as high for people who smoke. Tobacco products also […]

Fusion surgery is typically performed to limit movement in the affected area of the back or neck to eliminate or minimize pain or restore stability to the backbone after a damaged disc is removed. However, sometimes a fusion fails to form as expected. When this happens, it’s referred to as a non-union, or pseudarthrosis, which […]

More likely to occur in children during the growth spurt prior to puberty, scoliosis is a condition that can affect all levels of the spine in both children and adults living with an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine. When the condition is mild or moderate, treatment may involve periodic monitoring or bracing. If the […]

If your back and radiating leg pain isn’t responding to conservative treatments that may include a combination of medication and physical therapy, you may be a candidate for extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) surgery. Performed through incisions on the side of the body, this is a minimally invasive procedure designed to ease stress on muscles […]

It’s not unusual to consider seeing a chiropractor before considering fusion surgery in attempt to find relief. However, after you’ve determined spinal fusion surgery is your best option for alleviating back pain that is not responding to other non-surgical spine treatments, you might be wondering if you should still consider chiropractic care. Before making your […]

As one of the most-performed surgeries in the U.S., fusion spine surgery is statistically reliable. Since it’s a two-part operation involving installation of hardware to stabilize the spine and the application of bone graft material, fusion surgery is also highly dependent on multiple factors for success. For this reason, there are several possible reasons why […]

Out of nearly 500,000 spinal fusion surgeries performed each year in the United States, very few result in serious or life-changing complications. A new study suggests one of those potentially serious complications associated with fusion surgery, the risk of blindness, has significantly decreased since the late 1990s. Measuring Long-Term Trends Researchers at the University of […]