The most common way surgeons in America deal with bad discs in the lumbar spine is fusion. This procedure is pretty much what it sounds like: a doctor will force the spine into one, contiguous piece and two or more levels. Doctors have been doing this for a long time. Some people get good relief. But, the procedure can also cause problems. One of the main ones, provided that fusion takes, is that the spine tends to wear out above and below the site of the operation. This makes sense given that every other part of the spine is in motion and one section is not. So now there is talk of bringing artificial discs to the US. The idea here is to avoid fusion and allow the bad discs to retain their ability to move. This is still a complex surgery with all the attendant risks. It may be too soon to know what the long-term consequences are of disc replacement. It may be one more thing to discuss with your doctor if you are contemplating surgery. Remember, though, there is probably a good reason why this is still considered experimental. Just because an idea is foreign does not mean it is better or has some special cachet.
You can watch a new video about the procedure here.
