In the present day, more and more people have problems with their health due to chronic lower back pain. About 80% of people over the world start feeling pain in the back at some point in their lives.
Treating pain includes physical therapy, medication, and exercise. However, it is defined that the number of severe cases is increasing rapidly, and the number of people with spine implants is growing. Definitely, on the one hand, disc implants for the lumbar spine are not the best choice for every person with back pain. However, on the other hand, implants can be an ideal option for a person with health problems. They solve a lot of issues related to back pain, physical activity limitations, and an inactive lifestyle. In this article, we’ll consider all pros and cons of spine implants. If you’re interested to learn more, please, keep on reading.
Table of content
Contents
- What spinal implants do
- Who needs spinal implants?
- Pros of spinal implants
- Conclusion
What spinal implants do
The implants are made to provide several roles in the healthcare practice, both during spinal fusion surgery and without it. Implants help to:
- Facilitate the fusion of two vertebrae;
- Improve the function and stability of the spine;
- Increase the strength of the spine;
- Help to correct the deformities.
Who needs spinal implants?
Spine implants companies assist healthcare providers in treating patients who are a part of spinal fusion surgery. It helps the patients to hold the vertebrae in place while the spine heals from the surgery. Spine surgery is usually conducted for people with specific cases and pain levels. For example, spine arthritis leads to a significant amount of movement between two vertebrae, making the spine unstable. Moreover, instability in the back can lead to the patient’s muscle weakness, especially in the legs and arms.
The other reason is scoliosis and other forms of backbone deformities. Many people face the problem of scoliosis at the early age of puberty. There are some cases when the curve is very distinct, leading to significant chronic back pain and problems with the heart and lungs. Also, some other cases are when the surgery has to be done, such as broken vertebrae, spondylolisthesis, herniated disk, and others when the implants and fusion can help to stabilize the spine.
Pros of spinal implants
Spine surgery implants have both advantages and disadvantages; it depends on the type of back pain. A patient and a healthcare provider define the best option for a patient, taking into consideration such facts as the duration of back pain, the severity of pain, and other related factors.
- Reduction of Pain
When it goes to the pros of spinal implants, the first factor is lowering the pain. After the surgery, many people have significant relief in back pain.
- Increase of Productivity
As a result of a significant reduction in pain, the productivity of a person will increase.Pain in the back can be a reason for a person to miss or leave work, but the problem will be solved after getting the spinal implants.
- Minimal Invasive
The technology is developing rapidly, and the techniques in the surgery are improving so that minimally invasive techniques are created and integrated. Thus, the minimally invasive technique is the best way for a patient to relieve pain and to get back to a regular life more quickly and, as a result, to face fewer complications.
- Reduction of Medication Treatment
After the surgical treatment, the patients do not need as many pain relievers as they used to.
- Cost-Effective Therapy
If a patient does not want to choose surgery, they spend a lot of money on medication and visits to hospitals. The pain is blocked, but a patient can feel an increase of pain at any moment so that the total number of visits to a doctor will be higher. We know that spinal implants remove pain, and at first sight, the implants are more expensive than medications (canadian pharmacy), but they could definitely pay off.
- No Restriction in Movement
The implant is inserted into the disc space restoring the spacing between the vertebrae. Surgical implants, such as rods and pedicle screws, are attached to the vertebrae so that a patient does not have any restrictions of movements or during sports activities.
Cons of Spinal Implants
Relieving pain with spinal implants can have some drawbacks, but the result and experience differ from other common painkillers or pain control techniques. It is significant for a patient and a healthcare provider to discuss both pros and cons before an invasion because it can help a patient to decide on the best option and ease chronic pain.
- Risk of infection
After the surgery, the risk of infection can increase. However, the risks can be reduced when following the doctor’s prescriptions and thoroughly sterilizing hands and every instrument when bandaging.
- Increase of New Problems with Health
Unfortunately, there can be some situations when spine stability can be changed after the surgery is done. There can be a risk that new healthcare conditions of a patient can lead to the circumstances when the surgery would increase pain in the future.
After the surgery, there is a risk for a patient that they will need one more surgery because of spine degeneration. The condition can be a significant reason for another surgery in the nearest future. Spinal surgery is considered successful when the pain is reduced. However, there are still situations when a patient needs another surgery as the pain is still there, or the patient does not follow all the recommendations and something goes wrong.
Conclusion
Spine implants development is increasing, and it is expected to exceed more than 19.5 billion U.S. dollars by 2024. It is significant to look at the type of implants the surgeon uses and the types of surgeries a person performs. Some surgeries are less invasive than others when you are a candidate for a minimally invasive procedure. The main driving factor in spinal implants is an increased demand for fast recovery and less downtime. In addition, the demand for minimally invasive spine procedures is increasing because more and more patients have become more educated on the types of spinal procedures available at the present day.