About Lumbar Disc Replacement
Key Highlights
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Preserves natural spine motion and flexibility compared to fusion.May reduce stress and degeneration on adjacent spinal levels.Offers the potential for faster recovery and return to activities.Provides significant relief from chronic lower back and leg pain.Utilizes advanced, FDA-approved artificial disc implants.
Who is this surgery for?
- Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) at one or two levels (L3-S1) confirmed by imaging.
- Chronic, disabling low back pain unresponsive to 6+ months of conservative care.
- Herniated disc with associated back pain (discogenic pain).
- Patients with no significant facet joint arthritis, instability, or deformity.
- Preserved disc height and absence of severe osteoporosis.
How to prepare
- Complete pre-operative medical evaluation, including blood tests and heart check.
- Detailed imaging studies: MRI, CT scan, and possibly discography.
- Discontinue certain medications (e.g., blood thinners, NSAIDs) as advised.
- Maintain or begin a pre-surgery physical therapy and conditioning program.
- Arrange for post-operative support and transportation for discharge.
- Follow fasting instructions (typically nothing after midnight before surgery).
Risks & possible complications
- General surgical risks: infection, bleeding, blood clots, or anesthesia complications.
- Implant-related issues: wear, dislocation, subsidence (sinking into bone), or failure.
- Nerve injury, dural tear (cerebrospinal fluid leak), or persistent pain.
- Adjacent segment disease (accelerated wear at spinal levels next to the implant).
- Heterotopic ossification (unwanted bone growth around the implant).
- Potential need for revision surgery or conversion to a spinal fusion.
Recovery & hospital stay
- Hospital stay typically involves 1-3 days with early mobilization and pain management.
- Wear a back brace for initial support as recommended by the surgeon.
- Begin gentle walking immediately after surgery; avoid bending, lifting, and twisting for 4-6 weeks.
- Gradually resume light activities; formal physical therapy often starts after 4-6 weeks.
- Follow-up appointments for wound check and to monitor progress and implant position.
- Avoid high-impact sports and heavy labor for 3-6 months or as advised.
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Typical hospital stay: 2-3 days
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Expected recovery time: 6-12 weeks for initial recovery; 3-6 months for full activity
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are considering lumbar disc replacement in Turkey, these questions and answers can help you make a confident, informed decision.
Popular choices for lumbar disc replacement in Turkey include Liv Hospital Bahçeşehir, Istinye Üniversitesi Hastanesi Liv, Liv Hospital Ankara, known for experienced specialists and advanced surgical infrastructure.
Look at the doctor’s years of experience, hospital association, patient reviews, and how often they perform lumbar disc replacement. MediFyr helps you compare spine surgeons and book consultations online.
The overall cost depends on hospital category, surgeon’s experience, room type, implant or device used (if any), length of stay, tests, and post-operative care. Our team can help you get cost estimates from multiple hospitals before you decide.
Procedure cost in other countries
Here is an overview of how the estimated cost, hospital stay, and recovery time for lumbar disc replacement compare across other countries where we have data.
Top hospitals for Lumbar Disc Replacement in Turkey
These partner hospitals in Turkey have dedicated spine surgery teams and experience managing patients undergoing lumbar disc replacement.
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Follow-up visit for my cervical disc replacement. Dr. Dwivedi remembered my daughter's board exam results and asked about them first. His staff coordinated with insurance for my scans - clinical excellence matched by human touch.