Dallas County Living Well Magazine November/December 2016 | Page 17

Lateral Lumbar Fusion

Courtesy Dr . M . Viktor Silver

The Lateral Interbody Fusion is an approach to spinal fusion in which the surgeon accesses the intervertebral disc space and fuses the lumbar spine ( low back ) using a surgical approach from the side ( lateral ) rather than from the front ( anterior ) or the back ( posterior ). Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure in which two or more of the vertebrae in the spine are united together so that motion no longer occurs between them eliminating back pain and abnormal movements of the spine .

The Lateral Lumbar Fusion is a type of interbody fusion , where the disc in the front of the spine is removed and replaced with an implant containing a bone graft to set up the condition for the two vertebrae to fuse together through the disc space .
It is a minimally invasive type of spine surgery designed to accomplish a spinal fusion with several
Traditional Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion exposure involved bilateral resection of back muscles , bone , and posterior ligaments .
Case Example / Patient Testimonial :
The Lateral Lumbar Fusion procedure avoids cutting of muscle or bone , resulting in shorter hospital stays and faster recovery .
Richard Hatch , 54-years-old , RN , with years of chronic back and leg pain , progressively getting worse . When he came to the office , the only way that he could get any relief was on fetal position and that ’ s how he laid on the examining table .
He had tried everything in his life , including chiropractors , physical therapy , and pain doctors and could no longer work .
After a multilevel minimally invasive lateral lumbar fusion , he is painfree for the first time after 25 years . He is finally able to walk and stand without pain and taking no pain medications ! And working full-time ! advantages including :
• Minimal tissue damage with no need to work on back muscles with less pain after surgery and faster recovery .
• Minimal blood loss .
• Small incisions and scars .
• Minimal post-operative discomfort .
• Significant improvement of chronic back pain .
• Relatively quick recovery time and return to normal function . Patients usually walk the day of surgery .
In some cases , it requires only 1 or 2 days of hospital-stay , compared to several days of immobility and hospitalization after traditional procedures .
Please , come and experience a concise , positive and straightforward approach to your spinal problem .
Stop taking pain pills and crying , come see Dr . Silver , for a caring approach to your spinal pain and for a completely new outlook on life .
DALLAS COUNTY Living Well Magazine | NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2016
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