Over the last few decades, the procedures used to perform spine surgery have come a long way. Minimally invasive spine surgery has become a standard in treating a number of spine injuries and illnesses that were once treated with open back surgery.
Spinal fusion surgery is one of the most popular surgery options that can be used to treat spine conditions such as spondylolisthesis, retrolesthesis, anterolesthesis, pars-fracture, scoliosis, spinal instability and spinal fractures, degenerative disc disease, spinal tumors, infections, and Scheuermann’s disease. When the small bones in the spine, also known as vertebrae, shift or move out of place as a result of trauma or a spinal condition, it can cause instability and movement in the spine, and eventually leads to chronic pain.
However, by joining the two vertebrae together with a bone graft, the procedure can treat the pain and instability caused by the free moving vertebrae. The bone graft works together with the body’s own healing mechanisms to help fuse and even out the vertebrae over a period of time after surgery. The recovery time and ability to return to routine physical activities after a spine surgery in St. Thomas may vary from patient to patient.