Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF)

[@Snowboarding72]

I had this surgery 09/28/22 and it has been life changing to say the least. My neurosurgeon and team did a great job as I'm able to walk, sit, and bend over without being in excruciating pain. God is great, I'm so thankful!

[@Kai-el7rw]

I have been contemplating this surgery for 6 months now. So afraid of the rehab process. How hard was it?

[@Snowboarding72]

Everyone heals differently however for me, it was 6 days of tough pain (thank God for meds as that helps immensely) and the 7th day I felt relief and every day after that just got better. I went back to work full time 6 weeks later. I recently celebrated a year and man I feel great!@@Kai-el7rw

[@its_ari5458]

Hello friend how you doing now

[@AtlanticSpineCenter]

Congrats!

[@zenelmorina8799]

😅

[@lyndaatkinson2456]

I am having this surgery performed in 2 weeks. I have tried everything they have asked of me to alleviate the pain. I finally saw a neurosurgeon who showed me the MRI and the actual damage and cause of my sciatic and lower back pain. This video really helped to show me what they will do. Thank you.

[@nelsonamoreno6841]

LYNDA ATKINSON GOOD LUCK TO YOU .IN MY CASE IAM AFRAID TO DO THAT SERGURY TWO NEUROSERGURYS PROPOSED THAT WAY AND I DON'T KNOW IF I GO FOR .

[@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735]

12 days post op an Anterior/posterior revision fusion surgery. Doing great now!

[@jewelkhan3183]

@@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735 how are you now

[@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735]

@@jewelkhan3183 Still doing awesome! About to start doing some light Physical therapy next week.

[@jewelkhan3183]

@@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735 how much cost ur surgery?

[@celiajean7093]

Sure wish I'd watched your videos sooner!!! Arg! Thanks for the huge effort it takes to produce these videos and share them with us.

[@AtlanticSpineCenter]

Thank you! Be sure to subscribe → bit.ly/3reJ63R 🔔🩺

[@vzeller]

Hey Doctor! I know an ALIF only gets about 90 percent of the disc because of the frontal approach. What happens to that remaining bit of disc? Can't it still be compressed on the nerve? Will it eventually erode/absorb?

[@deona267]

I am having this done in 2 weeks and this video made me feel better .

[@TheOne-um7rp]

Wish you all the best!

[@jskeith11]

How are you doing now?

[@its_ari5458]

Hello friend how you doing now

[@marshallpoe8087]

My L4-L5-S1 ALF was performed without posterior support and I have had no problems at all healing. The reason I had the ALF was to avoid the long convalescent period required for any posterior intrusion. If you are requiring posterior surgery then no use doing the ALF procedure. Do the PLF and avoid the risk of damage to the IVC and AA.

[@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735]

I had a microdisketomy my first time. L4-L5. Then a fusion, TLIF. Surgeon said I fused but I has still having pain and sciatica. He took the hardware out thinking it was causing my nerve pain and done a revision. He told me I was fused solid. Turned out I wasn't, with no hardware and bone spurs from the BMP leaking out. Saw a different surgeon in Colorado, had an Anterior/posterior revision fusion 12 days ago. Pulled the old cage out, put new one in with two screws, turned me over, burred bone spurs out of my canals and put 4 screws and two pins in the back. Doing 100% better and off pain pills

[@nom303]

get this done on dec 11th. who did you see in colorado

[@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735]

@@nom303 Dr. Donald Corenman at the steadman clinic in vail

[@georgepapaioannou5115]

What is IVC and AA?

[@FromTheHood2TheWoods]

@@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735 smh damn. Thank God you are better. I’m scared but sick of the leg and back pain. Hope it works. So many horror stories

[@eolonizzi7220]

Thanks, great informative film.

[@AtlanticSpineCenter]

Thank you! Be sure to subscribe → bit.ly/3reJ63R 🔔

[@Interdiction]

Great vid very informative

[@AtlanticSpineCenter]

Thank you! Be sure to subscribe → bit.ly/3reJ63R 🔔🩺

[@oldben1800]

the design of humans is soooo fascinating

[@Irishpatriot]

God is great 🙏

[@AtlanticSpineCenter]

Fascinating! Be sure to subscribe for more! 🎉

[@drsarveshtripathi9493]

Very lucid explanation indeed.

[@Grizzlydipper654]

I just had this surgery a month ago feeling great

[@AtlanticSpineCenter]

So happy to hear! Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@katherinequintero8782]

Amen

[@Kai-el7rw]

How hard was the rehab?

[@Grizzlydipper654]

@@Kai-el7rw hardest thing I’ve ever had to go though I had a bad case of lordosis

[@Kai-el7rw]

@@Grizzlydipper654 ahhhh…..don’t say that….i am meeting with my surgeon tomorrow to discuss ALIF for L2-L3. I have NO disc left between them. I am in pain 24-7. Level 9 without pain meds and level 4 with pain meds.

[@tombeisty1143]

Wonderful piece of piece of video.... thank you

[@AtlanticSpineCenter]

Thank you! Be sure to subscribe → bit.ly/3reJ63R 🔔

[@7goldie77]

My doctor recommended this procedure for me, along with the posterior procedure to put in the screws. My question is, why not just do the full procedure posteriorly rather than do an anterior and a posterior procedure over multiple days?

[@ccoop3774]

I haven't worked in 4 years. We didn't do separate surgeries. You either had an ALIF or a PLIF. However, new systems are being introduced all the time.

[@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735]

Just depends on whats wrong. You may be almost bone on bone with a pinched nerve. The ALIF is better at restoring lordosis and being sure you removed all the disc material and makes for a better fusion but the surgeon may have to also do a posterior approach so he can further decompress the nerve. Like removing your lamina or facets to make room for stenosis, that has to be done from the back. It all depends on what is wrong with you lol

[@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735]

@@ccoop3774 Yeah after talking to 5 different surgeon's, they all had there own opinion about how to do my surgery. I just had to choose the right one for my condition

[@mamakillcamchristina9610]

So I just had both of these procedures done on L4-L5 and L5-S1. First day 7/14/2020 was ALIF, surgery was about 5 hours. I had the posterior rods, plates and screws done the next day 7/15/2020 another 3.5 hours. My doctor chooses to do this in 2 days because of the amount of time the surgeries take and also it is much safer to do the disc replacements through ALIF due to the space available to work. The anterior side does not have all the bones to cut away and go through. It's the simple ligament cuts that allow fill access to the discs. The screws and rods must be on the posterior side as that 8s where all the boney parts of the vertebrae are for the screws to be placed in. Hope that makes sense.

[@maxbelski]

Christina Prescott how are you feeling now since it’s been about a month? I am considering the same surgery soon.

[@annrivermez6959]

Hace cuatro meses me operaron de la columna porque tenia la vertebra L4 desplazada sobre L5. También me quitaron un disco y me pusieron una caja intersomatica. Estoy evolucionando favorablemente.

[@prakashgsvp]

Very useful video n details very informative. 👍✨

[@AtlanticSpineCenter]

Thank you! 💫

[@greatbungblaster]

GReat video ! Thank you .

[@AtlanticSpineCenter]

Thank you!

[@zachary200274]

@Atlantic Spine Center I may ask but in young patients whats the outlook for a full recovery from having a fusion?

[@AtlanticSpineCenter]

While every case is different, the positive outlook is statistically very high. If you are considering this procedure, be sure to speak to a medical professional about your personal treatment options. We are located in NJ + NYC. 👋 www.atlanticspinecenter.com

[@zachary200274]

@@AtlanticSpineCenter In Iowa and I am a 20 year old kid with pars defect on my L4 and I kinda have been accustom to chronic pain soo I thought it may be time to look for treatment. I will be consulting someone at the university of Iowa to see if there is anything other than a fusion. My story is probably like many others but I just thought I'd share it.

[@AtlanticSpineCenter]

@@zachary200274 Thank you for sharing. Wishing you the best of health as you pursue treatment!

[@mariapadilla5124]

Pues Primero DIOS que te sientas SUPER bien despues de la operation primo

[@davidjackson7813]

Had lumbar operation legs still numb walking 2 mile a day

[@jameshopkins3541]

ONE OR TWO OP FOR ANTERO AND RETROLISTESIS?

[@seanfaulk8641]

My wife had the surgery and the vertebrae's overfused the nerve in the lower back and no doctor here in the New Orleans Louisiana or Baton Rouge area of Louisiana know how to operate on her because they don't want to hit the nerve that's overfused with that material meaning scar tissue or calcium build-up from the fusion and yeah John and the doctor spoke about being worried he would hit the spinal cord and cause it to leak. Since 2014 she's stuck in pain and we can't figure out what her solution can be. She's 53 and can't go the rest of her life in this kind of pain. ANY DOCTORS OUT THERE THAT HAVE SEEN THIS HAPPEN AND CAN HELP?????????? PLEASE

[@gdust7786]

Sounds like she has developed Arachnoiditis. Perhaps a surgeon trained in minimally invasive surgery could help. You may have to do some travelling to get her help.

[@seanfaulk8641]

@@gdust7786 have checked with a spine surgeon and a pain manag center. The spine surgeon said he's never seen it before and wouldn't know how to operate on her. Recommended 2 wires with a Battery pack to send electricwaves to the spine. ( no going to happen, many bad reviews we read) Pain management said it's a 50/50 chance in operating that could be successful or she could have complications during or after surgery. So they Recommended the wire leads. But then you can't garden, bend or twist around be active or the leads could come loose inside the body. WTF!!!!! WHAT KIND OF FIX IS THAT!!!. Thanks for the recommendation, we just don't know what can fix her for the long term of her life.

[@gdust7786]

Dallas , TX, has a lot of good spine surgeons. Get on the internet and look for “spine surgeons for complex spine problems” in a close big city like Even Atlanta- the closest BIG city not in Louisiana (which is not known for a lot of good spine surgeons). Then call and ask for the dr.’s PA (physician assistant ) to call you if the clerk who answers and does not know if the dr. can do the surgery you need. I meant it when I said you will need to travel. Be prepared to have the place who took an MRI to CT scan send copies to Louisiana. Yes, it is difficult because of travel expenses and time off work, but it is the only way.

[@gdust7786]

PS I am in the same situation: if I get another operation, I may lose leg function, but i cannot take the pain any more. Also, I do not have a great deal of faith in SCS.If they work, they “may” cut 50% of the pain. (It was suggested I get one too. If she has to get one, go to a medical teaching hospital, preferably not in LA. Teaching hospitals have the newest ones like the Evoke closed loop SCS by Saluda.)

[@seanfaulk8641]

@@gdust7786 please keep me updated.good luck🙏🙏

[@igorsaimon]

Very nice 👏👏👏👏

[@AtlanticSpineCenter]

Thank you! Be sure to subscribe → bit.ly/3reJ63R 🔔

[@davidw.9711]

nice video thanks

[@jamesgrant2160]

Hi I am going 51years old and are up for fusion at l5/s1 in a month or so and I have been told around the 3month mark bones should be fused just hang in there and good luck

[@SuleyDina]

How is goinf

[@kickdog6934]

We are about the same age, how long did it took disck to heal?

[@regkelbie6826]

How is your fusion going

[@izatrini439]

How is putting these hardware materials to replace a disc that is soft and cushion, and flexible compatible with the natural build of the anatomy of one's spine. 🤔 This does not make sense to me. What are the side effects of this procedure and is this procedure a guaranteed fix? I bet no one from this video answers my questions.

[@ganeshbhatta9155]

The disc need to change if it gets damaged and gets replaced by artificial one.. And this is only the option for treatment however it can't be like natural but one can get relief and live normal life through this procedure..i started believing so because I am going to have that shit😔😔😔

[@sarisp5831]

Will this treatment make people with paraplegia walk again?

[@zacthegreat66]

No, this is for a disc degenerative disease. Its when the spongy area between spine gets messed up. paraplegics have a severed nerve along the spine, so your brain can no longer send signals to the muscles in the arms and leg. The only hope is to get the nerves to grow again, but this is challenging. There are no approved treatments for spinal cord injury, but physical therapy can help. good luck, it is a very hard transition

[@albaniadurres9693]

Dove vi trovatte?

[@sureshd8148]

When will the cervical titanium can be removed

[@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735]

Hi the hardware is meant to stay in. That is unless your body has a severe reaction to that particular metal. Or one of the screws is messing with the nerve.

[@jeffwolfe5661]

How long does it take for the bones to fuse? I'm 7 weeks post-op and still in a lot of pain.

[@ervalmond4979]

I had this surgery on April 21. They say it takes 3 months for the bones to fuse, but my doctor said it will take a year before I am completely healed. With that said, I'm doing great. The recovery was tough, but I am so glad I had it done. It's changed my life. I'm in physical therapy now, which is causing some pain, but I'm getting back some of my flexibility little by little. I had two levels fused, l4-l5 and l5-s1.

[@AtlanticSpineCenter]

Full bone growth to cover the graft can take 2 months to several months. It depends on the level of the fusion, the hardware and material used, the extent of the spine condition creating the need for the fusion, and each individual’s body’s ability to create the completed/stable fusion.

[@monjurzaman8237]

Sir I have been lumbar disc surgery 3 month ago. Now sometimes when I wake up in the morning the back pain is starts. How long will it take to fulfill the disc that have been cut.?

[@davedeniro8502]

It literally took me a 3 years after having this surgery before I felt normal again. Be patient. Everyone responds differently. I can truly say this surgery changed my life for the better.

[@JasonBoever]

@@ervalmond4979 so how is your back now? Had you had prior surgeries? I am mainly wondering of your pre surgery problems and what your success is now? How much movement loss do you have? Can you sit in a chair and pick up something off the ground? Hope your doing good!

[@harleylakelover]

Can you take the screws off, the metal thing once the bone form healed?

[@enriquevia-reque6522]

Christina Knowlton yes- and that's the prescribed approved use- however it is arguably more risky to go back to remove them because it's a second surgery and all the risks associated w anesthesia and then sometimes the bone grows over the metal- and so to remove it you actually end up removing the bone that grew.... so it's rare that it get removed. However there are times where the metal can cause some discomfort post operatively and they get removed.

[@leondu]

Your voice is so cute :D

[@adas8460]

tutaj bedzie zdrowy plecy mozna pracowac nie bedzie bolalo plecy

[@cheikhoundiaye2931]

Nice

[@lornamichellelondon9227]

What I had and what they did 3:17 till the end

[@RamazanAsanbekov]

Доктор сколько будет стоить это простому человеку хотел узнать.

[@MrDandrix]

Не знаю как в России, но в Великобритании мне эту операцию будут делать бесплатно ( если я решусь на неё, всё таки как то стрёмно...)

[@RamazanAsanbekov]

@@MrDandrix у нас очень дорого стоит эта операция.

[@NoamanBinSultan]

how about movement after surgery

[@janiekelly3013]

not very good its still rather difficult

[@thivivi]

Janie Kelly did you have it? Is the arthritis worse or better if you had it?

[@ccoop3774]

Big Banana Stan Man, I know a few people that had this, including my husband, and it has helped them. You are in the hospital 4-5 days. It is an easier surgery post op than a posterior lumbar approach.

[@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735]

@@ccoop3774 I had 3 posterior lumbar surgeries at l4-l5. My 4th one, which was 12 days ago was an anterior/posterior approach. Feel better already

[@ccoop3774]

@@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735 glad to hear it!

[@justinedgecombe5440]

Anyone have this done over a year ago and like to share their progression? Im having this done in 7 days.

[@Borntohustlee]

Yo bro I’m barely starting this journey I have 3 bulging discs mild in my neck and one in my low back I’m so sad man like

[@lizebethcleary4826]

I’m getting this done soon, too. I’m sorry you guys are going through this. Good luck !

[@bobcast6024]

Justin Edgecombe, how'd it go?

[@justinedgecombe5440]

@@bobcast6024 went very well. About to start physical therapy this week. Only real negative is my scar area is still numb .

[@bobcast6024]

@@justinedgecombe5440 Good to hear👍🏽 L5 S1?

[@DigitalAndInnovation]

GRRR its a FACET joint not a FAset joint >_

[@수하긴]

So therefore this surgery needs to open a patient's belly and back. Why don't you just do TLIF or PLIF instead? It seems so stupid

[@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735]

Take a case like mine. I had a microdisketomy at L4/L5. Finally got bone on bone with instability. Had a fusion. A year went by and sciatica got much more severe. Surgeon said you're fused solid, lets take the hardware out. It may be causing pain. Hardware comes out and sciatica stayed the same and after a couple months my back started killing me. Ended up not being fused, I was just wobbling around on a single cage with bone spurs grown in my nuerol foramena, left and right. They had to do an ALIF to get the old cage out, put new one in with two screws holding the cage in. Turned me over bured bone spurs out and put hardware in the back.

[@수하긴]

@@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735 oh man are you okay now? Did it work?

[@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735]

@@수하긴 Man I'm only 12 days post op but I feel better no doubt. I can defer the pseudarthrosis pain from the surgical pain. The instability and wobbling around on that small single cage was killing me. And the sciatica, man it was bad. I'm very lucky that the sciatica is completely gone. As of now that is. It was immediately gone when I woke up from surgery along with the severe low back pain.

[@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735]

It's hard though because if you think about it like this, I had a TLIF done, I should have fused and that BMP should have never leaked out and grew bone in the wrong place. Then you look at tiger woods and they only done an ALIF fusion and he won the masters shortly after. Some people do good with TLIFS. I like the ALIF procedure because they can really remove all that disc material and fit a cage that will take up the whole disk space instead of a small cage the size of your finger going through your back. I didn't know any of this until about 12 days ago lol I had an idea

[@ccoop3774]

@@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735 We stopped doing TLIFs because it seemed there was instability. That was maybe 8 years ago. There were better results with a PLIF over the TLIF.

[@tinaanthis8598]

They went thru my stomach

[@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735]

I'm 12 days post my ALIF. They also went through my back and this was my 4th back surgery at L4/L5

[@hotladyleo]

Im having afil and back done next friday I am scared to death. L4,5 S1. Scared about recovery. I had disk removed 2002 now we r to this bc been in pain last 10 yrs.

[@lisarodriguez6966]

@@hotladyleo how are you doing now, if you don't mind replying? My surgery is in 18 hours...

[@hotladyleo]

@@lisarodriguez6966 i am 2 wks out. First week was Hell. I just wanted to die pain and depression of not being able to do things. My legs were so sore so i got a roller ball massaged hips everyday. Im able to drive now. Back in my own bed. Still hard to get comfortable but i walk in house everyday bc its 110 here too hot to go outside. Next ck uo is 4 wks same restrictions. But insisions dont hurt. My stomach as hard as a rock. And I have to urinate every 30 mins. Good luck!

[@lisarodriguez6966]

@@hotladyleo thank you for taking the time to share your experience. I had my surgery 4 days ago. Lots of pain, but no complications.

[@kkli5617]

🤦‍♂️

[@tinaanthis8598]

Worst decision of my life

[@kregolll]

Hi Tina! Can You elaborate please?

[@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735]

Tina whats going on? I just had an Anterior/posterior surgery 12 days ago. I was on the brink of suicide from chronic pain but I'm doing so much better now, I had to find the right surgeon. It took 3 different surgeon's to finally get it right

[@ccoop3774]

@@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735 Did they remove any hardware from previous surgeries? Oops! I just read further down! My bad!

[@tinaanthis8598]

My apologies I've been gone I had a posterior fusion on l5s1 I have degenerative disc disease the fusion failed no growth with the bone graft and now l4-l5 is bulged and an annual fissure that has torn leaking spinal fluid and disc bone material I've been dealing with this for years now I have neck problems I'm so so done I had 2 ablations done in one year doesn't last long I hope you all get better I can imagine the pain you guys also go thru it literally sucks the life out of you i would have never ever done that surgery i was crawling on the floor because i couldn't walk that why i finally did it i wish nothing but the bet outcome for you all but please think those back surgery's thru and btw medication only helps for so long so no matter what kind it is it wont last so like what's the point seriously reading up on marriajua good luck to you guys

[@tinaanthis8598]

@@ccoop3774 nope nothing removed but my screw has moved but I'm not letting the mess with that either