Pain relief, the reduction of further degeneration and resumption of daily activities are typical goals of spine surgery. While both fusion surgery and artificial disc replacement can provide pain relief and stability, with spinal fusion the vertebrae surrounding the disc space are immobilized, and therefore limit flexibility in that area of the spine.
Laboratory testing shows that the CHARITÉ® Artificial Disc design allows the spine to move. In the U.S. clinical study of the CHARITÉ® Artificial Disc from DePuy Spine, patients who had CHARITÉ® Disc replacement surgery were observed to have motion between 0 and 21 degrees while bending forward and backward.
The clinical study also demonstrated that patients who received the CHARITÉ® Artificial Disc had pain relief and restored function no worse than patients who had fusion surgery two years after the surgery.The rates of complications were about the same between the two groups.
Reports from Europe of patients who have had the CHARITÉ® Artificial Disc implanted for 10 years or more show similar results.
Nobody can guarantee that after disc replacement surgery you will never feel pain again or that your spine will fully regain its flexibility. If you're like the majority of spinal surgery patients, you'll experience a decrease in pain and you'll gradually be able to increase your level of activity. With your pain minimized or no longer an issue, your concentration level on task will be noticeably better.
Ask your surgeon for more details about the results of the clinical study and life after disc replacement.
