Multilevel Spinal Fusion: A New Alternative To Traditional Spine Treatment

By Neil P. Hines


Posture is something that sometimes elicits remarks of reprimand or correction. However, for some people, poor posture is not a matter of laziness or teenage rebellion. Serious spine disorders need proper medical treatment, and multilevel spinal fusion may be of use in such cases as a modern alternative to pain management or extensive physiotherapy.

This treatment causes two or more vertebrae to connect on a permanent basis through fusing of the bone tissue. The vertebrae are the individual small bones that make up the body's backbone. They are separated by flat discs of cartilage. The spine joins the skeleton's different parts together, from the skull to the chest to the pelvis, and so it is understandable that any disorder affecting the backbone results in reduced motion and reduced quality of life, let alone posture.

The treatment can be applied to more common disorders, such as kyphosis or scoliosis, or others such as herniation (slipped disc, where a cartilage disc dislodges slightly) or the symptoms of more general, casuistic injuries such as cracked vertebrae. All of these issues can be addressed by merging one vertebra to another, as well as serious back pain.

The main concept behind this treatment is that, in certain circumstances, bone tissue will knit together with other bone tissue to form a permanent join. By providing artificial prompting, two vertebrae are caused to grow together. At present, the treatment utilises two processes to make this happen. The first, namely posterolateral fusing, involves the insertion of a bone graft into the transverse processes (the little bone spikes) of the vertebral column, and then the application of metal screws to assist in the join. The other process, known as interbody fusion, entails the insertion of a synthetic disc between two vertebrae. The cartilage is either so deteriorated that the practitioner entirely removes it, or it is absent. The adjacent bone edges then fuse. If both processes are applied in the same case, the treatment is termed 360-degree.

The multi part of the name is a reference to the extent of the intervention. The spaces between the vertebrae are known as levels. A single level procedure involves only one join, while a multilevel process is more extensive. Usually, the treatment does not go beyond two levels.

This treatment is a relatively new technique, and the placement of the screws requires advanced skill to be entirely effective. There are also different materials available for the synthetic plates used in the interbody process.

This type of spine therapy is a relatively recent development and has attracted not insubstantial criticism. New medical methods often suffer opposition, and take time to become more universally established, so patients should try to make an educated and balanced decision in deciding to undergo them.




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