Living with chronic back pain can make even simple movements feel exhausting. Back pain can affect your daily life. It makes bending down, walking for long periods, and getting a good night’s sleep challenging. If spine issues, such as degenerative disc disease, don’t get better with physical therapy or medication, surgery might be the best option. One procedure that helps stabilize the spine and relieve pain is transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). This surgery can restore function and improve mobility for those struggling with lower back pain.
What is TLIF?
TLIF aims to relieve pressure on nerves and stabilize the spine by permanently joining or fusing two or more bones. These bones, called vertebrae, are in the lower back (or lumbar region).
When is TLIF Performed?
TLIF can be helpful when other treatments, such as medication, physical therapy, or epidural injections, fail to provide lasting relief.
Common issues that lead doctors to suggest TLIF are:
In each of these conditions, the goal of TLIF is to reduce pain and stabilize the spine.
What Happens During TLIF?
While TLIF is considered a type of spinal fusion, it does more than just fuse vertebrae. It also removes parts of the bone and the affected disc to create more space. This added space helps decompress and ease pressure on the nerves, often a primary source of back and leg pain.
For TLIF, the surgeon makes a small incision or a few tiny incisions if it’s done as a minimally invasive procedure. Through the incision, they access the spine from the back.
Bone and disc material sections are removed to reach the disc space between two vertebrae. Surgeons can widen the natural openings where nerves exit the spine, known as foramina. This helps them see better and relieve pressure on pinched or irritated nerve roots. In fact, this is where the procedure gets its name. Transforaminal indicates the approach through these neural openings.
Once the disc is removed, the empty space is filled with a bone graft. The graft can come from:
- The patient’s own body: often the hip
- A donor: bone bank
- A synthetic alternative
The purpose of the bone graft is to support growth between the two vertebrae. This ultimately fuses them into a single, stable unit.
To ensure the bones remain correctly aligned while fusion takes place, surgeons often use metal screws and rods. They may also use spacers or cages to maintain proper disc height and alignment.
Complete fusion can take three to six months or sometimes up to a year, so this added stability is essential during recovery.
Who Can Have TLIF Surgery?
A decision to undergo TLIF is usually made after exploring other non-surgical treatments. Your doctor will look at the specifics of your case. They will determine if your back or leg pain is due to a specific issue in your spine. If it is, fusion can help fix it.
What Is the Benefit of TLIF?
Its main advantage is targeted pain relief. This is especially true if nerve compression is the primary source of discomfort. Creating more space for spinal nerves helps reduce painful movement between vertebrae. As a result, many people feel less leg and lower back pain. In turn, this can improve:
- Daily mobility and range of motion.
- Comfort while walking or standing for more extended periods.
- Quality of life by enabling more normal activities.
Additionally, minimally invasive TLIF procedures may have shorter recovery times, less blood loss, and smaller scars than traditional open surgery.
Talk to A Doctor About Reducing Your Back Pain
The success of TLIF surgery relies on several factors. These include your overall health and the specifics of your spinal issue. Partnering with an experienced physiatrist or neurologist is the first step in getting relief.
Don’t continue to live with chronic back pain – schedule an appointment today!
