[annapurna]

Originally Posted by Azhure

The problem with ADR is that it is new. It does not have the long-term research that fusion surgeries have because it has not been in existence for more than a decade.

I have two disagreements with Azhure and only one of which is serious. The Charite has been in existence for something close to thirty years, not ten. That in itself is a serious outcome study if you wish to take it that way. The newer disks have all been developed within the last ten years but the Charite has been around Europe for quite a while. If you do choose a newer ADR, you can take reassurance from the fact that ADRs have been doing well for a while.

The minor disagreement is an engineer's dislike of the new bonded ADRs. Speaking as a materials engineer who regularly works with bonded joints, we don't know as much about the long term behavior of those in fatigue loading. The ADRs have all been tested for longevity and done well but I worry a bit if the testing was valid if we don't really know how bonded joints fail due to fatigue.