Spinal Fusion Specialist

Illinois Spine & Scoliosis Center

Spine Surgeons & Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation located in Homer Glen, IL & Woodridge, IL

When simply moving your neck or back causes pain, you may find the relief you need with a minimally invasive spinal fusion. The board-certified spine surgeons at Illinois Spine and Scoliosis Center have extensive experience performing spinal fusions. They effectively repair the cause of your pain and restore spinal strength and stability with a fusion. To learn if a spinal fusion might ease your pain, call the office in Homer Glen or Woodridge, Illinois, or request an appointment online today.

Spinal Fusion Q & A

What is a spinal fusion?

A spinal fusion is a surgical procedure to permanently connect two or more adjacent vertebrae. Fusing the vertebrae relieves pain and strengthens your spine. Though a spinal fusion stops movement between the targeted vertebrae, it seldom affects your overall mobility.

When might I need a spinal fusion?

You may need a spinal fusion when non-surgical treatments fail to improve the pain caused by conditions such as:

Herniated disc
Spinal stenosis
Degenerative disc disease
Spondylolisthesis
Radiculopathy
Myelopathy
Facet joint syndrome

Some conditions may need a spinal fusion as their primary treatment. However, most patients need a fusion after another surgery to repair the condition. For example, removing a damaged disc affects the spine's stability. Your provider then restores spinal strength by fusing the vertebrae.

What are the different types of spinal fusions?

Illinois Spine and Scoliosis Center offers spinal fusions using different approaches, such as:

Lateral lumbar interbody fusion
Posterior lumbar interbody fusion
Anterior lumbar interbody fusion
Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion
Posterior instrumented fusion
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion

The approach to your spine — anterior, posterior, transforaminal, and lateral — defines where your provider makes the incision. Each approach has a specific benefit and works best for certain spinal conditions.

What happens during a spinal fusion?

For the first step, your Illinois Spine and Scoliosis Center provider removes the disc between the two vertebrae. Then they replace the disc with a bone graft that triggers bone growth. As the adjacent vertebrae grow new bone over the graft, they eventually meet and fuse together.

Your bone graft may come from another part of your body, such as your hip bone. However, Illinois Spine and Scoliosis Center often uses a fusion cage. The cage fits in the space where your disc was and contains the same bone-growth proteins in living bone.

In some cases, your provider may use instrumentation, such as pedicle screws and rods, to support your spine while the bones fuse together.

Can I have a minimally invasive spinal fusion?

Illinois Spine and Scoliosis Center specializes in minimally invasive spinal fusions. During a minimally invasive procedure, your surgeon makes small incisions and doesn't cut through the surrounding muscles and tissues.

Minimally invasive surgery causes less trauma compared to traditional open surgery. As a result, you have less pain, minimal scarring, and a faster recovery.

To learn if a spinal fusion may ease your neck or back pain, call Illinois Spine and Scoliosis Center or use the online booking feature today.

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