Spinal fusion is surgery to permanently join together two or more bones in the spine so there is no movement between them.
Spinal fusion is surgery to connect two or more bones in any part of the spine. Connecting them prevents movement between them. Preventing movement helps to prevent pain.
During spinal fusion, a surgeon places bone or a bonelike material in the space between two spinal bones. Metal plates, screws or rods might hold the bones together. They then can fuse and heal as one bone.
urgeons perform spinal fusion while the person having the procedure is unconscious, known as general anesthesia. There are several ways to do spinal fusion surgery. The technique the surgeon uses depends on where the bones to be fused are on the spine, the reason for the spinal fusion, and possibly, general health and body shape.
Generally, the procedure involves the following:
- Getting to the spine. To get to the bones being fused, the surgeon cuts in one of three places. From the back, these cuts are in the neck or back directly over the spine or on either side of the spine. To get to the spine from the front, the surgeon cuts into the stomach area or throat.
- Getting the bone graft ready. Bone grafts come from a bone bank or from the body of the person having the surgery, usually from the pelvis. Sometimes surgeons use human-made material instead of bone grafts. To use the person’s bone, the surgeon cuts near the pelvic bone, removes a small part of it and then closes the cut.
- Fusion. To fuse the spinal bones, the surgeon places the bone graft material between the bones. The surgeon might use metal plates, screws or rods to help hold the bones together while the bone graft heals.
After spinal fusion
A hospital stay of two to three days is usually required following spinal fusion. Depending on the location and extent of your surgery, you may experience some pain and discomfort but the pain can usually be controlled well with medications.
After you go home, contact your doctor if you exhibit signs of infection, such as:
- Redness, tenderness or swelling
- Wound drainage
- Shaking chills
- Fever higher than 100.4 F (38 C)
It may take several months for the affected bones in your spine to heal and fuse together. Your doctor may recommend that you wear a brace for a time to keep your spine aligned correctly. Physical therapy can teach you how to move, sit, stand and walk in a manner that keeps your spine properly aligned.
Results
Spinal fusion typically works for fixing broken bones, reshaping the spine or making the spine more stable. But study results are mixed when the cause of the back or neck pain is unclear. Spinal fusion often works no better than nonsurgical treatments for back pain with a cause that’s not clear.
Even when spinal fusion relieves symptoms, it doesn’t prevent future back pain. Arthritis causes much of back pain. Surgery doesn’t cure arthritis.
Having a spine that doesn’t move in places puts more strain on the areas around the fused part. As a result, those areas of the spine might break down faster. Then the spine might need more surgery in the future.
