That sucks insurance won't pay, but they will pay for a procedure that has a high rate of adjacent level disease in the future. An ortho that I know said the policy may be due to the fact that in an ADR, the surgeon needs to clear out any bone spurs or deposits, etc. That way everything is nice and clean. In a ACDF, its not done as there is no more movement, so its an easier surgery and everybody makes more money.
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1979 car accident: rear ended
1980 ACDF C4-5
4/8/11 stopped, hit again
3 epidurals, PT, 2 MRI's,etc.
scheduled 3 times for C5-6, 6-7 fusion,
plus laminectomy at C3-4, and C 7, advised to do Bilateral lamino-foraminotomy C5-6, C6-7,a Percutaneous Discectomy L4 -L5
7/14 RFA on L3 to L5 (awake, local only)
C5-6,6-7 M-6 ADR with Dr. Clavel 9/17/14,
12/7/15 RFA L2-S1, Facet injections C2-7
6/3/16 RFA L2-S1, epidural L4,5, 8/26/16 RFA C1-7
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