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What's your experience with Vertiflex Superion Implant?
Spine Health | Last Active: Mar 1 1:34pm | Replies (350)Comment receiving replies
hank,
I am new to this forum and the best I can see is that most of the posts are threee years old. It seems that a lot of those who have posted have had failed procedures. There can be numerous reasons why they did not have positive results, but as I try to decipher why did their procedures fail, here is what I am observing.
Many have had prior surgeries, such as laminectomy or fusion. Many were diagnosed as "severe" spinal stenosis and turned to the vertiflex as an option that was never available prior to their surgeries.
In 2023, BioScientific and the FDA are not recommending the vertiflex implant for patients who have this type of history.
Myself, age 62, moderate spinal stenosis, no prior history of any surgeries and minimal injections (2) to relieve pain. However, I do have "mild" scoliosis in my middle/upper spine. This concerned the orthopeodic and neurosurgeon I consulted with and both did not offer optomistic outcomes for surgery, one being spinal fusion, the other spinal lamenectomy. The neurosugeon of course said he could correct the scoliosis with surgery (rods and screws) after the lamenectomy. The orthopeodic, totally not optomistic, even though the MRI, stated "MINOR" barely significant. Needless to say, I did not say sign me up to either.
I would love to have more recent feedback from forum members that are more like me, and not in advanced spinal stenosis or have a fragmented spine due to injections or surgeries.
Do you have any more recent input from forum members who have had the procedure done with success? If anyone out there reading is is that person, please reply.
Replies to "hank, I am new to this forum and the best I can see is that most..."
Now in week 5 of post-procedure. Beginning physical therapy next week. Had a basketfull of symptoms the past 10 months and had hip joint and muscle injections with little relief. After doctors determined it was a nerve problem an mri indicated pinching between L2 and L3. Presently I have reduced and intermittent nerve pain of the left hip and upper left leg. I'm sure that is the nerve/muscle interaction getting reacquainted. No back pain at all. What pain I have is significantly less than before the procedure. I was told it takes 3 months for final results and I believe they will improve.
I read a lot today after I canceled my Vertiflex procedure earlier. My gut feeling makes me stuck in between a rock and a hard place. Darn if I do, Darn if I don't type of situation. Never had surgery either. Yet my spine is becoming completely straight, have severe stenosis, severe degenerative disc disease. My spine is also twisted. Plus I have one leg that is 1/2 inch or more longer than other that is continually pulling on my spine.
They wanted me to do fusion of L4,5, S1 and doctor even told me it's a hit n miss and that what I have may just end up in more surgeries. My pain doctor seemed agitated that I am dealing with so many months out of work, so much time going from walking to stranded on floor, wheelchair. One day using cane, next walking. One hour going up steps and next hour crawling up those same steps. So he basically says I can't live like this, that I need to do surgery.
Then they brought another pain doc in because I refused fusion. He talked about the Vertiflex procedure and I told him I felt more comfortable possibly doing this. But all the research I have done keeps coming up with more harm than good. After coming onto this site today, I am glad I went with my gut feeling and canceled the surgery. The shame is the doctors applying pressure does not help either!
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My vertiflex procedure is not even a year old I had one epidural in the past which worked for a couple of months then I had the surgery westinosis was an L4 and L5 my main problem was the weakness in the legs which still persists to this day