[Cynlite]

Twowheelyankee, I too have spent more time researching ADR surgery, fusion surgery and stem cell treatments more than anything else in my life. There is a good reason for this. My spine problems took everything I enjoyed away from me and destroyed my quality of life for many, many years. I pray you never get this bad! It was not because of procrastination on my part but, rather because of a lack of good options to heal me. I am so grateful that the ADR technology and surgery advanced so much in the last 10 years in Europe! So far, the three M6's in my neck have made a huge difference and I am hopeful that my health will keep getting better.

I have problems with my lumbar spine now but, am not an ADR candidate. I think my lumbar problems came early to me in life because my cervical spine was screwed up for so long that it really changed my body strength and posture. This is one of the drawbacks of not fixing the problem(s). My greatest concern of having a one level fusion is the degeneration of the adjacent discs so, I have done nothing surgically. I think that even with the 50/50 ratio you gave, in the end fusion is a losing battle because the mechanics of the spine are changed afterwards. Of the two surgical options, I think ADR by a very experienced surgeon is the best hope anyone has of reducing their pain significantly while reducing the risk of further degeneration to the spine.

Here's my opinion for free

1) Do nothing surgically. Build core strength and work on body posture. Live with the pain until you can't tolerate it anymore.
2) Consider stem cell injections as an alternative to ADR surgery. I'm still trying to figure out if they are worth the investment because this type of treatment does not come cheap and has a supposed "70% chance of reducing 70% of the pain." Can stem cells heal your problem? If not, ADR is probably a better option because it will restore your body mechanics.
3) Skype with Dr. Clavel if you are still on the fence and think the M6-L or Activ L are discs that will work for you. It is worth the approx. $200 euro it will cost you. He impressed me on the call more than any spine surgeon in Europe or the United States that I have met and that is when I made my decision to have surgery with him. You are one of the fortunate ones to get an answer so quickly from him. I think I waited close to three months for my opinion. Ask him about your bone density concerns. Alternatively, you could email him your question but, you may have to be patient and wait for the answer.
4) If your insurance will cover an ADR this time, can you go to the Texas Back Institute and have surgery there? Are they still using the Prodisc L there or is the Activ L an option?

I agree that there is much money to be made in this industry which makes our choice of treatment difficult to figure out. It becomes increasingly difficult to trust any doctor because they all think they have the answer. My pain doctor for the last five years was very much against me getting surgery. Was his opinion in my best interests or his....I wonder? Many doctors in the U.S. are very procedure driven and that is always in the back of my mind. The promises of going back to work in 6 to 8 weeks is stated across the board for many types of spine surgeries and I agree with you that this is inaccurate marketing. Everyone is so uniquely different and our recoveries take as long as they take. It seems more often than not, the recoveries take many months not weeks. All you have to do is read lots and lots of post surgery stories to figure this out. After a couple of months of healing and with the help of drugs, a person could go back to work if they had no other choice, felt strong enough and if the surgery fixed their problem...there are lots of if's. From what I have read, the young, single level ADR candidates have the best chance of a 6 to 8 week recovery compared to us multiple level ADR patients. After 40, the older we are, the harder it seems it is for us to bounce back. Plus, it didn't matter that I was in great shape 10 years ago, I lost it and had that going against me for my recovery so, an 8 week recovery just wasn't going to happen and I knew it. However, for most of Dr. Clavel's patients (can't speak for the other surgeons) we feel much better right after surgery than the day before surgery. It's pretty remarkable. But then later, when there is more inflammation from the body healing from the surgery and we are off the drugs, we have a bit of a setback or plateau until about week 8. After week 8, I started making gradual improvements again. The same was true for my other spine surgeries. After 8 weeks, I felt I had done a lot of the healing from the surgery but, in those cases, the surgeries didn't help my pain levels much and then of course, I got worse and my pain story continued.