Is Private Cervical Disc Replacement Available in Canada?

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Is Private Cervical Disc Replacement Available in Canada?

Artificial disc replacement is a treatment therapy used when all other traditional therapies have failed and only after extensive testing is completed.  The testing would include a discogram, which is aided by x-ray technology.  This test can determine whether the patient’s pain is directly caused by a degenerative disc.

Degenerative disc disease means the disc between the vertebrae has worn down or lost some or all of its cushioning.  The discs act as shock absorbers and when there is little to no cushion, it creates pain.  Artificial disc replacement surgery replaces the bad disc in hopes of better mobility and pain relief by restoring the disc to its original height.  This provides less risk for the adjoining discs to degenerate as seen in spinal fusions.

Finding a private spine surgeon in Canada is very tricky because there are really only a couple of surgeons practicing on a private basis.  Private cervical disc replacement is very specialized and requires an experienced neurosurgeon.  There is only one surgeon we know of currently doing these on a private basis.  He recently started offering them after many years of research and data to feel comfortable enough that it would be a successful surgery.

If you have been told you are a candidate for private cervical disc replacement, contact us and we can facilitate this surgery for you with an experienced neurosurgeon in Canada or the US.  We can be reached at 877-344-3544 or info@healthvantis.com.

Is Private Lumbar Disc Replacement Available in Canada?

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Is Private Lumbar Disc Replacement Available in Canada?

Artificial disc replacement is a treatment therapy used when all other traditional therapies have failed and only after extensive testing is completed.  The testing would include a discogram, which is aided by x-ray technology.  This test can determine whether the patient’s pain is directly caused by a degenerative disc.

Degenerative disc disease means the disc between the vertebrae has worn down or lost some or all of its cushioning.  The discs act as shock absorbers and when there is little to no cushion, it creates pain.  Artificial disc replacement surgery replaces the bad disc in hopes of better mobility and pain relief by restoring the disc to its original height.  This provides less risk for the adjoining discs to degenerate as seen in spinal fusions.  Lumbar disc replacement can only be done on 2 of the discs, the last two which are L4-5 or L5-S1.  It is also reserved for those patients with discogenic pain, ie. a form of low back pain caused by chemically or mechanically damaged intervertebral discs.

Finding a private spine surgeon in Canada is very tricky because there are really only a couple of neurosurgeons practicing on a private basis.  Private lumbar disc replacement is very specialized and requires an experienced neurosurgeon who has had extensive training doing them.  Currently, we do not know of anyone doing these on a private basis in Canada so going to the US would be the next likely option.  Because it is so specialized and the patient needs to meet very specific criteria, there are not as many neurosurgeons doing lumbar disc replacement as there are cervical disc replacement.

If you have been told you are a candidate for private lumbar disc replacement, contact us and we can facilitate this surgery for you with an experienced neurosurgeon.  We can be reached at 877-344-3544 or info@healthvantis.com.

Private Cervical Fusion vs Private Cervical Disc Replacement

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Private Cervical Fusion vs Private Cervical Disc Replacement

Private cervical spinal fusion surgery and private cervical disc replacement surgery can be done in Canada or the US.  There are a lot more options if you go to the US, where the pricing will be comparable.  What is the difference between a cervical spinal fusion and cervical spinal disc replacement?  Let’s find out what each surgery encompasses and how they differ.  

What is a Cervical Spinal Fusion?

Cervical spinal fusion is the surgery that uses artificial bone material and other substances so they heal into a single solid bone. This, over time, can improve the stability of the spine and eliminate pain, however, will limit the range of motion for that joint.

What is a Cervical Spinal Disc Replacement?

A cervical disc replacement differs in that the surgeon inserts an artificial disc in the disc space.  Some patients are not good candidates for cervical disc replacement if they have a history of cancer, degeneration, bone infections, scoliosis, or osteoporosis.

Disc Replacement vs Fusion Surgery

Cervical disc replacement surgery is a fairly new surgery so there is not a lot of information out there, especially for long-term success rate and outcomes.  What is known is that it allows for greater movement and mobility than a fusion.  It acts as a real disc and is designed to function as if it was a natural disc whereas cervical fusion welds bones together not allowing for movement in that specific area.

Spinal fusion is known to create more stress on the vertebrae above and below the artificial disc.  With a disc replacement, the movement is naturally still there, which could reduce the risk for further disc degeneration in the future.

Spinal disc replacement surgery also has a much quicker recovery time.  Because you do not need to wait for the bones to completely fuse together, which can take several months, even up to 18 months, most people resume their normal activities within a 4-6 week time frame.  

We have options with credible and experienced surgeons that can do both of these procedures.  If you are interested in a private cervical spine surgery, give us a call to set up a consultation to see which procedure would be right for you.  You can reach us at 877-344-3544 or info@healthvantis.com.

Private Lumbar Fusion vs Private Lumbar Disc Replacement

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Private Lumbar Fusion vs Private Lumbar Disc Replacement

Private lumbar spinal fusion surgery and private lumbar disc replacement surgery is not offered in Canada.  There are options if you go to the US, however, not a lot of surgeons are trained to do them.    What is the difference between a lumbar spinal fusion and lumbar spinal disc replacement?  Let’s find out what each surgery encompasses and how they differ.  

What is a Lumbar Spinal Fusion?

Lumbar fusion is the surgery that uses artificial bone material and other substances so they heal into a single solid bone. This, over time, can improve the stability of the spine and eliminate pain, however, will limit the range of motion for that joint.

What is a Lumbar Spinal Disc Replacement?

A lumbar disc replacement differs in that the surgeon inserts an artificial disc in the disc space.  Lumbar disc replacement requires a very specific candidate due to long term outcomes, implant durability and possible very late complications.  It is best suited for a younger patient, under the age of 50, suffering from degenerative disc disease without any significant  facet joint degeneration, deformity, instability or osteoporosis or osteopenia.  They also must only have an isolated, 1-level disc disease with relatively normal anatomy above the diseased disc.

Disc Replacement vs Fusion Surgery

Lumbar disc replacement surgery is not widely used as it is a much riskier surgery than the cervical disc replacement.  It requires a very specialized surgeon and specific patient that meet certain criteria to do it.  It does however, have a success rate of more than 90%, whereas the spinal lumbar fusion surgery success rate is only 70-90%.

Those who are candidates for lumbar disc replacement surgery will have greater movement and mobility than a fusion.  It acts as a real disc and is designed to function as if it was a natural disc whereas lumbar fusion welds bones together not allowing for movement in that specific area.

Spinal fusion is known to create more stress on the vertebrae above and below the artificial disc.  With a disc replacement, the movement is naturally still there, which could reduce the risk for further disc degeneration in the future.

Spinal disc replacement surgery also has a much quicker recovery time.  Because you do not need to wait for the bones to completely fuse together, which can take several months, even up to 18 months, most people resume their normal activities within a 4-6 week time frame.  

It goes without saying that surgeons will absolutely error on the side of caution and exhaust all other treatments such as injections, physical therapy or simply time before jumping to surgery.

We have options with credible and experienced surgeons that can do both of these procedures.  If you are interested in a private lumbar spine surgery, give us a call to set up a consultation to see which procedure would be right for you.  You can reach us at 877-344-3544 or info@healthvantis.com.

Risks of Waiting for Your Spine Surgery

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Risks of Waiting for Your Spine Surgery

Wait times have went up drastically over the years for spine surgery.  This has left thousands of Canadians at sea on their own as they wait to get a surgery date. This can create major consequences if you experience long delays.  Let’s look at some reasons how waiting can make things worse:

Mental Health

– Let’s face it, winter months in Canada can be long.  Seasonal affect disorder (SAD) is a real thing and very well known to many.  If you have an ailment that causes stress or continued pain, it can create and/or exacerbate SAD making you have low energy, poor mood and cause you to sleep too much.  Worse yet, it can turn into a full blown depression. Feeling discouraged, hopeless or in constant pain affects your focus, ability to function and can hamper your social interactions with people.  Not being able to play with your children or grandchildren, staying home from parties, or not being able to work can all create more stress on your mental health. When your mental health decreases, your whole body reacts to the stress.  This can make your pain unbearable, therefore, too difficult to maintain a healthy physical health.

Physical Health

– Regular exercise is important to maintain strong bones, muscle strength, better sleep and more energy. It improves your mood and overall good health.  Obesity can put limitations on whether or not they can do surgery on you.  It’s a double edge sword.  You are in so much pain that you cannot do regular exercise, therefore, you put weight on.  However, if your BMI is too high, you may not qualify for private spine surgery.  As your weight increases into an unhealthy range, you could also develop high blood pressure or diabetes, which further complicates a surgery.  If you are not mobile due to excessive pain, there are still ways to get exercise in without exacerbating your issue or creating more pain.  For instance, if it is too painful to walk, try swimming or doing sitting exercises with light weights.  *Always talk to your doctor or physiotherapist first though on what is the safest for you.  If you keep your physical fitness up, your recovery will go much smoother and quicker.  If you are not physically fit, be prepared for a much longer road to recovery.

More Risk To Further Injury

– Waiting a couple months to have an already known injury that needs surgery is probably not going to hamper your situation in the grand scheme of things.  Having to wait several months, a year, and in some cases 2 years, can.  As we indicated above, physical health is crucial to having a safe and successful surgery.  The longer you wait, the harder it is to exercise to your full potential.  Inactivity will lead to muscle loss and increased stiffness to your muscles and surrounding tissues.  This in turn will make it harder and harder to walk putting more stress on the spine by not having the muscles surrounding it to support things.  It can create even more issues such as affecting the other levels in the spine as they over compensate for the weight you can no longer support or affect the nerve signals to the lower body, legs and feet.  It can also create partial paralysis or the inability to control your bowel function.

Like most things, this is not an end all.  You do have options.  The quickest way to get your spine surgery is to go the private manner.  Health Vantis works with many facilities that can offer you a private spine surgery without waiting months on end to get a surgery date that might be even another year down the road.  Contact us at info@healthvantis.com or 877-344-3544 for more details to how we can help you.

Health Vantis

www.healthvantis.ca

877-344-3544

info@healthvantis.com

Private Spine Surgery or Waiting for Your Turn

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Imagine having serious back pain and needing surgery and then waiting for 58.9 weeks to get it! That is not something any Canadian who is experiencing back pain is looking forward to. Unfortunately, this is the reality of our universal health care. According to the Fraser Institute, in 2022 median wait time from referral by GP to treatment for neurosurgery was 58.9 weeks. This is an increase of 25.8 weeks from 2021.

Back problems are among the most common chronic conditions in Canada. Four out of five adults will experience at least one episode of back pain at some point in their lives. Not all back pain is resolved through surgery. Spinal surgery should be the last resort and other, non-invasive treatments should be tried first. However, even seeing a neurosurgeon to determine whether or not one needs surgery takes 45.7 weeks (median medical time waited from a referral by GP in 2022).

Some provinces fare better in their wait times to see a neurosurgeon. If you live in Quebec, you are in luck! The median wait time was only 4 weeks! Neighboring Ontarians are not so lucky, their median wait time is 78 weeks!!!

If you were put on a long medical wait list and would like to explore your private options Health Vantis can help. We will connect you to a reputable and safe medical facility and provide you with full medical concierge service from the first phone call till you are back home and are recovering. There are no wait times. We can get someone to surgery 3-4 weeks after we submit their medical records for review. To find out more information about our services please contact us toll-free at 877 344 3544 or by email info@healthvantis.com

Private Spinal Fusion

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Private Spinal Fusion

Private spinal fusion is a major surgery.  It is often a last resort kind of surgery.  Reasons one might have a private spinal fusion is due to deformities of the spine, herniated disk or spinal weakness or instability.  There are several different techniques done for spinal fusion.  Your surgeon will know which one is best for your situation.  

This procedure can be done at any level in the spine.  Bone or bonelike material are used between the vertebrae and will sometimes need metal plates, screws or rods to stabilize and heal as a single unit.  It prevents any movement between the vertebrae(s) that have been fused together.

Over 90% of spinal fusion patients achieve a solid fusion and have benefits from the surgery, although it varies by person.  There are many factors that increase and/or inhibit the success rate such as other deficiencies in other levels of the spine, condition the fusion is treating ie. Scoliosis, tumor or infection, and whether or not the  person did their rehab.  Other reasons that might inhibit the success rate could be related to preexisting depression, poor psychological well-being, smoking, obesity, age or hypertension.

If you are interested in a consultation, we can make arrangements for that.  The cost is $600 for the records and MRI images to be reviewed by a neurosurgeon and include a discussion with him on whether or not a private spinal fusion is the appropriate surgery for your needs.  Keep in mind, a recent MRI less than 6 months old is preferred.  We charge a $200 fee to make these arrangements. Contact us today to set your consultation up! 

Health Vantis

www.healthvantis.ca

877-344-3544

info@healthvantis.com

Private Spinal Decompression

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Private Spinal Decompression

If you have compressed nerves in your lumbar spine, a private spinal decompression surgery might be beneficial to you.  Spinal decompression is done to treat spinal stenosis, a slipped disc and sciatica, spinal injuries and metastatic spinal cord decompression.  

If lumbar decompression surgery is recommended, you might have one of these procedures: laminectomy, discectomy, foraminotomy, osteophyte or spinal fusion.  In many cases, a combination of these procedures might be used.  Knowing which procedure is right for you is determined by your neurosurgeon.  Most of the time they prefer a stepped approach starting with less invasive procedures before jumping into surgery.

If you are interested in a consultation, we can make arrangements for that.  The cost is $600 for the records and MRI images to be reviewed by a neurosurgeon and include a discussion with him on whether or not a private spinal decompression is the appropriate procedure for your needs.  Keep in mind, a recent MRI less than 6 months old is preferred.  We charge a $200 fee to make these arrangements. Contact us today to set your consultation up! 

Health Vantis

www.healthvantis.ca

877-344-3544

info@healthvantis.com

Private Laminectomy of the Spine

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Private Laminectomy of the Spine

Back pain can be caused by many things.  In some individuals it can be caused by the narrowing of the spinal canal.  The narrowing is a result of bone spurs or tissues associated with arthritis that tighten the spaces through which the nerves pass.  This leads to pain and nerve irritation.  A laminectomy will remove areas of the vertebral bone (lamina) that are compressing the nerve to alleviate the pain.  Bone spurs and ligaments that are pressing on nerves may also be removed during the surgery.

Most back surgeries do not provide 100% success rate. Research shows that 70-80% of laminectomy patients find relief of pain after surgery.  Surgery does not correct the underlying problem that caused the spinal tissues to wear down, therefore, symptoms may come back.  Recovery can take up to 4-6 weeks and for some, a few months depending on age and general health. Private Laminectomy is a relatively easy surgery for a surgeon and does not normally require an overnight stay.

If you are interested in a consultation, we can make arrangements for that.  The cost is $600 for the records and MRI images to be reviewed by a neurosurgeon and include a discussion with him on whether or not a private laminectomy of the spine is the appropriate surgery for your needs.  Keep in mind, a recent MRI less than 6 months old is preferred.  We charge a $200 fee to make these arrangements. Contact us today to set your consultation up! 

Health Vantis

www.healthvantis.ca

877-344-3544

info@healthvantis.com

Private Microdiscectomy of the Spine

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Private Microdiscectomy of the Spine

Microdiscectomy of the spine is done to correct a herniated disc.  Herniated discs are when the disc is torn and the gel-like inner material herniates or pokes out.  This results in the disc compressing the spinal nerves that cause back pain.  To relieve pain, a microdiscectomy can be done, where a portion of the disc, bone and/or ligaments are removed, creating space and freeing the herniation.  

Microdiscectomy of the spine  is considered a minimally invasive procedure and can be done on an out patient basis. Almost all of the joints, ligaments and muscles are left intact making it a relatively easy recovery.  The results can last for many years.  In one study, it was found that 84% of people who had the surgery rated their results as good or excellent after 4 years.

Candidates for microdiscectomy are those with worsening pain, numbness, weakness or tingling in the legs and when all other treatments have been exhausted and no longer work.  Costs to have a microdiscectomy on a private basis start around $17,000. 

If you are interested in a consultation, we can make arrangements for that.  The cost is $600 for the records and MRI images to be reviewed by a neurosurgeon and include a discussion with him on whether or not a microdiscectomy is the appropriate surgery for your needs.  Keep in mind, a recent MRI less than 6 months old is preferred.  We charge a $200 fee to make these arrangements. Contact us today to set your consultation up! 

Health Vantis

www.healthvantis.ca

877-344-3544

info@healthvantis.com