What is spinal fusion?
Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure that joins two or more vertebrae permanently, eliminating motion at the affected level. The goal is to stabilize the spine, correct deformity, or eliminate pain caused by abnormal motion at a diseased or injured segment.
Modern spinal fusion uses a combination of pedicle screws, connecting rods, and interbody cages — structural implants that hold the vertebrae in proper position while bone graft material slowly grows across the treated segment over the course of six to twelve months. When fusion is successful, the treated levels become a single, solid bone structure.
Fusion is indicated for a wide range of conditions including degenerative disc disease with instability, spondylolisthesis, spinal deformity, fractures, and revision of prior failed surgery. Dr. Enguidanos performs the full range of fusion approaches — posterior, anterior, lateral, and minimally invasive — at HCA Florida Twin Cities Hospital in Niceville, Florida, serving the Florida Panhandle and Gulf Coast.
Common symptoms.
- Mechanical back or neck pain from unstable or degenerated spinal segments
- Radiating pain into the arms or legs from nerve compression at the unstable level
- Progressive deformity — scoliosis, kyphosis, or spondylolisthesis worsening over time
- Instability — a sense of the back giving way with activity
- Failed prior conservative treatment for degenerative disc disease or instability
- Prior surgery complications requiring revision and stabilization
- Fractures requiring rigid stabilization to protect the spinal cord
What causes it.
- Degenerative disc disease with instability — disc height loss allowing abnormal motion
- Spondylolisthesis — vertebral slippage requiring stabilization
- Spinal deformity — scoliosis and kyphosis requiring correction and stabilization
- Vertebral fractures — instability requiring rigid fixation
- Revision surgery — failed prior fusion requiring extension or correction
- Infection — spinal infection causing vertebral destruction requiring reconstruction
- Tumor — spinal tumors requiring resection and reconstruction
When to call us.
Spinal fusion is typically considered after conservative treatment has been appropriately tried and failed, when instability is confirmed on imaging, when deformity is progressive, or when neurological compromise is present.
Not every spine condition requires fusion. Dr. Enguidanos evaluates each patient to determine whether the clinical situation warrants fusion or whether a less aggressive approach — decompression alone, motion-preserving surgery, or continued conservative care — is the appropriate treatment.