Spondylolisthesis Surgery

Spondylolisthesis surgery is a drastic and invasive option for advanced vertebral slippage conditions. Spondylolisthesis is a condition with multiple causes but similar symptomatic profiles. While most varieties of the condition are not problematic, some can cause moderate pain and related symptoms and others can create truly nightmarish cases of suffering and even spinal instability. It is in these cases that surgery is usually prescribed as the best or only treatment modality available.

Spondylolisthesis Surgery Procedure

Surgical correction of severe slipped vertebrae is a last resort treatment option. The operations are very invasive and can create many associated health problems. The most common procedure used is one of the many varieties of spinal fusion. Fusion is an operation where the vertebrae are joined together using bone grafts and surgical hardware such as cages, screws, pins, and plates. In severe cases of spondylolisthesis, this hardware is often left attached to the operated vertebrae permanently as a means of reinforcing the fusion procedure. Fusion is a traumatic operation to endure and can cause degenerative conditions to develop in other surrounding vertebral levels. Spinal fusion should only be considered if there are truly severe symptoms and no other treatment options available. If a fusion procedure is warranted, make sure to find a specialist who can insure the best results possible for your particular condition.

Unnecessary Spondylolisthesis Surgery

Many patients with mild to moderate spondylolisthesis have endured unnecessary back surgery to correct an asymptomatic variety of the condition. Mild to moderate cases rarely cause pain or related symptoms and often act as a convincing back pain scapegoat on which to blame pain from a completely different causation. Before undergoing any surgical procedure for your unresolved back pain caused by spondylolisthesis, try knowledge therapy to eliminate the chances that your pain is due to a psycho-emotional source, rather than a anatomical cause. In addition, be sure to exhaust every possible conservative therapy modality prior to undertaking any invasive treatment option.

Recommendation on Spondylolisthesis Surgery

While I am usually very anti-surgery, I do recognize that many patients have advanced forms of this condition which require some drastic help. Surgery is truly needed in many of these severe vertebral misalignment conditions. Patients with more common and less severe conditions should not even be considering surgery except in extremely rare instances of obvious pinched nerve or cauda equina syndrome conditions. Pain due to mild or moderate spondylolisthesis is often misdiagnosed and is actually coming from some other physical or more commonly, psychological source. Your doctor is not likely to inform you of the epidemic proportion of psychosomatic pain syndromes, so it is knowledge that you must learn for yourself. Do everything possible to insure that if you do require surgery, at least it will result in a pain free condition. There is truly nothing worse than undergoing an extremely invasive surgical vertebral correction only to have continuing or even exacerbated postoperative pain�

Spondylolisthesis Surgery to Back Pain Home page 10/29/07