PROCEDURES
Posterior lumbar fusion
A spinal fusion surgery is designed to stop the motion at a painful vertebral segment, which in turn should decrease pain generated from the joint. There are many approaches to lumbar spinal fusion surgery, and all involve adding bone graft to an area of the spine to set up a biological response that causes the bone graft to grow between the two vertebral elements and create a fusion, thereby stopping the motion at that segment.
- Posterior refers to the approach of the surgery, which is from the back of the spine (rather than the front or side)
- Lumbar refers to the position on the spine, which is the lower back
- Fusion is the process of combining two adjacent vertebrae to create solid bone, thus eliminating any movement