Access to Artificial Disc Replacement in Canada
Spine surgery in Canada is more traditional and access to artificial discs can be limited
Intuitively it makes sense to prefer a spine surgery that preserves the natural motion of the spine. This lessens the risk of adjacent segment disease where a spinal fusion causes other discs above below to herniate.
While the traditional treatment for many herniated discs is spinal fusion, this locks the vertebrae together. Research from the North American Spine Society — the largest and most prominent group of spine surgeons and specialists in the world — now has documented that when you lock two vertebrae you cause “adjacent segment degeneration.” This means by locking two vertebrae together, the fusion then puts more pressure on the discs above and below the fusion site, causing these other discs to then herniate as well. The alternative is the artificial disc that replicates the motion preserving function of the normal healthy disc.
Three obstacles to getting artificial disc replacement in Canada
There are 3 obstacles to getting an artificial disc in Canada.
The first is that artificial disc replacement requires extensive advanced training for the spine surgeon to learn how to implant the artificial disc. A Calgary or Edmonton spine surgeon leaving active practice for a month for additional training in artificial disc replacement surgery further lengthens the wait time for spine surgery.
Second, in Canada, artificial disc replacement surgery is viewed to be new and potentially too expensive an alternative to the government system. Considering the year long queues for traditional spine surgery, access to artificial disc implants would be harder.
Thirdly, like anything else, practice makes perfect, and to be truly proficient in artificial disc surgery the spine surgeon typically needs to do about 50 disc replacement surgeries a year. This requires a hospital to have a bulk purchasing arrangement with a preferred artificial disc manufacturer. Selecting the preferred disc is often the domain of the spine surgeon performing the surgery.
The Solution?
Here at San Jose Neurospine, as a result of our international reputation, we treat patients from all over the world. Our practice is conveniently located close to both San Francisco International airport and 
San Jose International airport. The San Francisco bay area has some of the nation’s finest hotels. If required our staff can help arrange hotel accommodation as well as airport pickup. We also provide translation services to patients who speak little to no English.
Our “Virtual Consultation” program enables us to assess your clinical problem weeks before your visit. All you have to do is send in our imaging (CT, MRI and X-Ray) studies and reports as well as provide a brief medical history. We will then carefully review this information and contact you with our recommendations. For many of our out of town patients, the preoperative clearance evaluation is performed by a primary care physician in their home city. Our clinic will provide you with the details of all the required information and the necessary preoperative tests.
Cervical Artificial Disc Replacement — Sam's Story
Sam had two herniated discs in his neck, making daily activities painful and difficult. After pursuing non-surgical treatment options and spinal injections, Sam still wasn't pain free. That's when Sam took the next step and contacted San Jose Neurospine for help. Dr. Onibokun at San Jose Neurospine was able to replace the damaged discs with MOBI-C Artificial Discs, avoiding a multi-level spinal fusion. Now Sam is back to a healthy lifestyle, pain free.
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Cervical Artificial Disc Replacement — Paul's Story
After waking up with a sore neck, Paul figured he had simply slept on it wrong. He quickly found out that something more serious was occurring when his fingers began going numb. Paul attempted to carry on with everyday life, but the pain and numbness became worse. That is when he decided to research alternatives to spinal fusion, and found San Jose Neurospine. Dr Onibokun was able to replace Paul's discs with the MOBI-C Artificial Disc. After surgery, Paul's pain symptoms were immediately relieved and he is now back to a pain free life!
Watch Paul's story...