Artificial Disc Replacement: Is the cost worth it? | Dr. Todd Lanman

Is the cost of either cervical or lumbar artificial disc replacement worth the cost? The big question for most patients: what's your spine worth? Your spine is an essential structural component of your body. It also provides us with the range of motion and flexibility we enjoy most of our lives. The spine cannot function as designed when it is fused or immobilized. This is why I believe that motion preservation (motion restoration surgery) is well worth the cost. Comparing spinal fusion versus artificial disc replacement, the cost of spinal fusion is always higher because the procedure takes longer, is more invasive, and the patient experiences a much more extended recovery period with spinal fusion than with artificial disc replacement. Clinical studies have also shown that spinal fusion leads to a greater risk for adjacent disc failure and resurgery than artificial disc replacement. So is the cost worth it? In my medical opinion, yes. Absolutely.