Thursday 22 December 2011

Solving Spinal Implants Problems

Introduction

Body is the most complicated yet efficient machine created by god. But irrespective of the efficiency of a machine, a machine is always prone to some damages and efficiency errors. Similarly, even our body due to various reasons may sometime get affected to some disorder, disease or problem.

These days due to increasing work pressure and strain has led to various health issues. One such issue is spinal acute pains. These pains when detected early can be solved through medication but when they become acute they need surgery. With lots of developments in the field of medicine, an acute spinal problem can be solved through spinal implantation.

What is Spinal Implantation?

Spinal implantation is a process of infusing specially designed spinal instruments often used in the surgical procedures. The transplants are used to facilitate fusion and correct deformities and strengthen the spine.

Types of Spinal Implants:

Though there are various types of spinal implants, what type of implant must be used depends upon the patient’s body fit, age etc. But basically Spinal Implants are as follows:

1. Rods: One of the original implants used in the spine. Rods are used, along with hooks and screws, to immobilize involved spinal levels, and to contour the spine into correct alignment. The rods are strong, yet have some flexibility so that the surgeon can shape the rod to match the contours of the patient's spine.

2. Pedicle Screws: These specially designed bone screws are carefully implanted into the pedicles of the spinal vertebrae. Bone Screws provide strong "anchorage" points to which rods can be attached.

3. Hooks: Used with rods and other implants to anchor them to vertebrae.

4. Plates: Often used in the cervical spine. Plates are manufactured to conform to the contour of the spine and are held in place by screws set into adjacent vertebrae.

5. Cages: Often called “interbody” cages because they are most often placed between two vertebrae. Cages are small hollow devices with perforated walls. Cages are used to restore lost disc height resulting from a collapsed disc and to relieve pressure on nerve roots.

Bone Screws and their types

Be it any type of Spinal Implants one thing is for sure that the bone screws play a very important role in holding and moving of the spinal implant. Similar to the implant there are various types of bone screws which are used in a surgery. The basic types of bone screws are:

1. Cortical Screw
2. Cancellous Screw
3. Cannulated Screw
4. Herbert screw
5. Malleolar screw
6. Pedical screw: This screw is the most commonly used bone screw in spinal surgeries.

With spinal surgeries becoming quite easy and pain free, many of the spinal problems are being easily handled. Also with many players being available in the market who supply customized surgical equipment and bone screws, it does not make the patient feel that there is some artificial fixture in their body.

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