What is Spinal Fusion Surgery?
Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure that joins two or more vertebral bones together so they heal into a single, solid bone.
Your spine is made up of individual vertebrae with discs in between that allow for smooth movement. When a vertebra slips out of place or a disc collapses, that movement becomes the source of pain. Spinal fusion eliminates motion at the painful area, removing the source of discomfort while keeping your spine stable.
Spinal fusion in the neck, or cervical spine, is very different from fusion in the lower back, or lumbar spine. A cervical fusion is typically performed with a small incision that heals with barely a visible scar. Recovery from cervical fusion is usually faster, with most patients returning to light activities within two to four weeks. A lumbar fusion recovery generally takes longer, as the lower back bears more weight with every step.
At our Spine Solutions clinics in Hollywood, Boca Raton, and Coral Gables, FL, Dr. Myers only recommends spinal fusion surgery when instability is clearly causing your pain and nonsurgical treatments have failed to provide lasting relief.
What Types of Conditions Does Spinal Fusion Help Treat?
Spinal fusion surgery is not the right answer for every cause of back or neck pain, but for the right patients with specific structural problems, it can be truly life-changing. Conditions that often benefit from spinal fusion include:
- Spondylolisthesis, where one vertebra slips forward over the one below it, creating instability and often compressing nerves
- Degenerative disc disease with advanced collapse, where loss of disc height leads to bone-on-bone contact and pain with movement
- Scoliosis or other spinal deformities that require correction and long-term stabilization
- Fractured vertebrae that cannot heal properly on their own, especially after trauma or in patients with osteoporosis
- Spinal stenosis with instability, where simply removing pressure from nerves would leave the spine too loose and cause recurrent symptoms
- Tumors affecting the spine that require the removal of bone, leaving the spinal column unstable without fusion
- Severe or recurrent disc herniation where previous surgery has removed too much stabilizing tissue
If you’re suffering from one of these conditions and nonsurgical treatments have not provided adequate relief, spinal fusion surgery at Spine Solutions may be the right option for you. Contact our team today to request an appointment and find out if you’re a candidate.
Our Approach to Spinal Fusion Surgery in Miami & South Florida
At Spine Solutions, Dr. Behnam Myers specializes in performing spinal fusion using minimally invasive techniques whenever possible. Unlike traditional open fusion that requires a long incision and extensive muscle stripping, a minimally invasive approach uses smaller incisions and specialized instruments to access your spine with far less disruption to the surrounding tissues.
The specific approach Dr. Myers uses depends entirely on where your problem is located and what condition is being treated. For an anterior lumbar interbody fusion, he approaches your spine from the front of your body, removing all or part of a damaged disc and placing a bone graft or substitute to fuse the bones. For patients with neck problems, Dr. Myers performs an anterior cervical discectomy with fusion, where he removes a damaged disc from the front of the neck, takes pressure off the nerves, and places a bone graft to fuse the vertebrae.
Patients from Hollywood, Boca Raton, Coral Gables, and throughout South Florida choose Spine Solutions because of our patient-first philosophy and commitment to minimally invasive spine surgery techniques. Request an appointment today to speak with our team of spine specialists and get lasting relief through spinal fusion surgery.
