Go Farther with Artificial Disc Replacement.
Go Farther with Artificial Disc Replacement.
Artificial Disc Replacement surgery offers many benefits over other forms of back and spine surgery. Let us help determine if it's right for you.
Have questions about Artificial Disc Replacement? Contact Jennifer Tullis, R.N., Director: Click here.
Not located in our area?
No problem.
If you are in need of surgery and believe you are a candidate for artificial disc replacement, the Center for Disc Replacement is ready to help. Our team is led by physicians who pioneered disc replacement surgery in the U.S. and they have performed thousands of procedures on patients from all over the world.
To accommodate patients who travel for their care, we offer a complimentary screening process to review your medical records to determine if you are a potential candidate. Additionally, we can provide travel and hotel recommendations in and around the Plano and Dallas area upon request.
What you need to know about Artificial Disc Replacement surgery.
Get the answers to our most commonly asked questions and learn how Artificial Disc Replacement compares to traditional back and spine procedures. If you’re a candidate for spinal fusion surgery, you owe it to yourself to read this guide!
Why Artificial Disc Replacement?
Artificial Disc Replacement is a relatively new surgical procedure that is transforming the lives of thousands of people by setting them free from debilitating back and neck pain. In this video, you'll learn how the procedure works and why back pain sufferers have new hope for returning to the lifestyle and activities they love.
What are the characteristics of a candidate for Artificial Disc Replacement?
What are the characteristics of a candidate for Artificial Disc Replacement?
You may be a candidate for Artificial Disc Replacement if you have experienced any of the following:
- Neck pain with or without arm pain
- Lower back pain with or without leg pain
- Conservative treatment without significant relief of pain
- Degenerative disc disease
- Herniated cervical or lumbar discs
- Previous disc surgery with continued pain
- You have been advised to consider fusion surgery
Why should fusion surgery candidates consider Artificial Disc Replacement?
Return to work faster
On average, Artificial Disc Replacement patients can return to work within 2-3 weeks, while fusion surgery potentially requires a much longer recovery time.
Greater range
of motion
Unlike vertebrae that have been fused together, a spine repaired with Artificial Disc Replacement can move, bend, twist and turn with a natural range of motion.
Less stress on
adjacent discs
X-rays comparing Artificial Disc Replacement to lumbar fusion show that adjacent disc degeneration occurs 1/3 as often* in patients who received Artificial Disc Replacement.
Less likelihood for
future surgery
Patients with cervical spinal fusion are 3 to 5 times* more likely to have additional surgery than cervical Artificial Disc Replacement patients.
*According to research
"Why I chose Artificial Disc Replacement." A patient's story
Why choose The Center for Disc Replacement at Texas Health Center for Diagnostics & Surgery?
The Center for Disc Replacement is located at Texas Health Center for Diagnostics & Surgery in Plano, Texas. See how our experienced, professional staff and comfortable environment combine to create a patient experience that is simply unrivaled.
Internationally-recognized physicians
The spine surgeons of The Center for Disc Replacement are renowned experts who have each received international recognition for having performed the first Artificial Disc Replacement surgery in the United States as well as leading the first FDA studies of the procedure. Beyond performing this life changing-procedure on hundreds of patients each year, they are recognized speakers, researchers and advocates for continued innovation in the field.
Dr. Scott L. Blumenthal
Dr. Richard D. Guyer
Dr. Jack E. Zigler
Dr. Jessica Shellock
Comfortable, award-winning hospital
With advanced medical technology and amenities that are more like a boutique hotel than a hospital, it’s no wonder that patients travel from around the globe to have their procedure performed at Texas Health Center for Diagnostics & Surgery. See why we're different.
Texas Health Center for Diagnostics & Surgery has been consistently recognized by patients, visitors, employees and medical professionals. Here are just a few of our accolades:
A Peaceful Setting
We have been named "one of the quietest hospitals in America".
Satisfied Patients
We have received the Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ from Healthgrades
Dedicated Staff
We’ve created a culture where caregivers thrive.
Dr. Scott L. Blumenthal
Co-Founder
For information or appointments,
call: 844-544-9501
email: TheCenterForDiscReplacement@thcds.com
Scott L. Blumenthal, M.D., is a spine surgeon on the medical staff at Texas Heath Center for Diagnostics & Surgery and co-founder for The Center for Disc Replacement. Blumenthal is a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon with additional fellowship training in spinal trauma.
Dr. Blumenthal is credited with performing the first disc replacement in the United States and has participated in clinical trials for several artificial disc devices. He was the first spine surgeon in the United States to devote his practice solely to the research and application of artificial disc replacement.
Dr. Blumenthal serves as a clinical assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, is the deputy editor of the European Spine Journal and is an ongoing contributor to the first non-profit foundation created for arthroplasty patients. He has published numerous articles in professional spine journals and presents regularly on his work both nationally and internationally.
Dr. Richard D. Guyer
Co-Founder
For information or appointments,
call: 844-544-9501
email: TheCenterForDiscReplacement@thcds.com
Richard Guyer, M.D. is a spine surgeon on the medical staff at Texas Heath Center for Diagnostics & Surgery and co-founder for The Center for Disc Replacement. Dr. Guyer is a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon who completed two spine fellowships in Ohio and California.
Dr. Guyer performed the third artificial disc replacement in the United States in 2000. He also performed the first lumbar disc replacement in Chile and was the first US surgeon to perform an ADR in Brazil. Dr Guyer is well recognized for the numerous articles he has written about disc replacement. He lectures extensively nationally and internationally, teaching surgical techniques and lecturing on the results of lumbar and cervical ADR.
Dr. Jack E. Zigler
Co-Founder
For information or appointments,
call: 844-544-9501
email: TheCenterForDiscReplacement@thcds.com
Jack Zigler, M.D. is a spine surgeon on the medical staff at Texas Heath Center for Diagnostics & Surgery and co-founder for The Center for Disc Replacement. Dr. Zigler is a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon with additional Fellowship training in adult spinal surgery.
In October 2001, Dr. Zigler performed the first ProDisc-L lumbar ADR in the United States and has implanted hundreds of lumbar and cervical artificial discs since then. He lectures worldwide on the results of lumbar and cervical arthroplasty, and regularly teaches surgical techniques of disc replacement to spine surgeons all over the world.
Dr. Zigler has written and published several of the most frequently cited articles on disc replacement, and is an acknowledged expert in the field.
Dr. Jessica Shellock
For information or appointments,
call: 844-544-9501
email: TheCenterForDiscReplacement@thcds.com
Jessica Shellock, M.D. is a spine surgeon on the medical staff at Texas Heath Center for Diagnostics & Surgery and The Center for Disc Replacement. Dr. Shellock is a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon who completed her residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Florida and fellowship in spine surgery at the Texas Back Institute where she is in private practice.
Dr. Shellock specializes in all aspects of neck and back surgery, including minimally invasive techniques as well as artificial disc replacement. Her personal quote is “Don’t let back or neck pain control your life any longer. There are now many new treatment options, including minimally invasive surgical techniques that we can discuss. It’s time to take your life back!”
Take the first step to pain relief today.
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Considering artificial disc replacement, but still looking for information about the process, and what to expect after surgery? Find the answers in this free guide.
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