Disc Replacement Surgeon Dr. Karsten Ritter-Lang, with his team, presented a report on Outcomes for the Treatment of Degenerative Disc Disease in the Lumbar Spine Using Spinal Kinetics M6 Lumbar Disc Replacement implant at this year's International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery, 15th Annual Conference.
At the conference Dr. Karsten Ritter-Lang's team reported significantly decreased back pain in both multi-level and single level artificial disc replacement patients at two years using the Spinal Kinetics M6 Artificial Disc Replacement.
Unlike the early ball-in-socket disc replacement implants this advanced disc replacement implant The Spinal Kinetics M6 Artificial Disc Replacement, now available outside the US, offers improved end-plate fixation, reducing implant migration and the risk of revision surgery. These improved artificial disc replacement products also have motion control, to reduce the post-op hyper-activity and long term complications caused by the early ball-in-socket artificial disc replacement implants. These early implants have been found to stress facet joints, ligaments, and muscles causing future complications. These next generation artificial disc replacement products also have added the safety of shock absorption, to prevent injury to adjacent structures.
The multi-center, single arm, prospective post-market registry study of the Spinal Kinetics M6® Disc Replacement reported on patients who had completed at least 24 months of follow-up. The results of the paired pain tests indicated that both multi-level and single level artificial disc replacement groups were significantly improved after 24 months.
This is the first clinical study to report on two year clinical and radiographic outcomes of Artificial Disc Replacement surgery using the Spinal Kinetics M6 Lumbar disc replacement implant. The results showed significantly decreased back pain, initial device safety and effectiveness when used for the treatment of lumbar degenerative disc disease at one or more lumbar spine levels
Artificial Disc Replacement technology has come a long way and improved artificial disc replacement implants now provide a natural “Quality of Motion” unlike the early ball-in-socket disc replacement designs.
To determine back surgery or neck surgery success rates we also should ask, how do we define success?
If the patient has a perfect surgery without complications this could be considered a successful disc replacement surgery. The surgery has restored the disc height it has decompressed all the nerves and prevented future paralysis. So, the disc replacement was a success, right? Should we consider reduction of back pain or other symptoms? Disc Replacement Surgeon Dr. Ritter-Lang and his team have 100% success since using the Spinal Kinetics Disc Replacement implant. This means No device failures, removals, migrations or complications that resulted in permanent damage or disability. Reduction of back pain and neck pain is measured in other ways.
We must also understand that the statistics include all patients and for some disc replacement surgery was their last hope or they had other surgeries prior. The younger, healthier, single-level patients without previous surgeries will do better and heal faster than many other patients. How fast, how much better depends and how much pain relief depends on many factors. Of course how skilled the surgeon is greatly effects disc replacement success rates. Success rates will vary widely by surgeon, look for experience. The best hope for a patient is to find a surgeon with peer verified results.
Fusion Surgery or Disc Replacement Surgery?
In the last decades medical technology has moved forward at a faster than ever pace. Yet most spine surgeons remain stuck in the past, limited by regulation they are still using fusion surgery or outdated disc replacement technology.
Due to FDA restrictions, limitations of the approved products, and the inexperience of many surgeons, many patients will be exposed to unnecessary risk, get debilitating fusion surgery, or continue to suffer needlessly. Most, never knowing there are better options available, technology that can preserve the natural motion of the spine, and surgeons with the experience required to help them.
Why avoid fusion surgery?
There are several concerns with spinal fusion. Overall success rates for fusion surgery are very low and the recovery is long and painful. Even after a “successful” spinal fusion, problems begin to develop soon after the surgery. The segments next to the fusion surgery have more forces applied causing “adjacent level degeneration” which studies have shown will lead to additional pain and surgeries.
Why wait? Disc Replacement Surgery with the Spinal Kinetics M6 Artificial Disc Replacement is available now go to www.artificialdiscreplacement.com