Before performing the first ADR in the United  States in March 2000, I did a lot of research on the procedure, including  visiting with a number of surgeons in Europe as well as the inventor of the  first FDA-approved ADR, Karin Buttner-Janz. Besides inventing the artificial  disc, she is well-known for being an Olympic and world champion gymnast from  East Germany.

Total disc replacement is an alternative to  spinal fusion. It is an innovative process of surgically removing a damaged  disc from the spinal column and replacing it with an artificial disc. This procedure can significantly benefit patients who suffer from herniated discs or degenerative disc disease with or without leg or arm pain.

Artificial disc replacement gives patients an opportunity to retain  mobility in both the neck (cervical spine) and lower back (lumbar spine). By  replicating the movement of a normal disc, ADR helps to alleviate adjacent disc  degeneration minimizing the need for additional spine surgery due to disc  degeneration or herniation.

Since 2000, a number of FDA studies of other  artificial discs began enrolling patients in the United States. Over a dozen  studies have been completed in the United States and currently there are four  discs approved for use in the United States.

The FDA-approved disc available for the low back  (lumbar spine) is the ProDisc-L.  For the  neck (cervical spine), the Bryan, Prestige, and ProDisc-C are available.

Looking forward to the future of artificial discs  in America: at least a dozen or so discs are either currently in-trial or have  completed the trials for FDA approval and will hopefully be available in the US  soon.