These are my understandings only;
ADR implantation can worsen or cause facet deterioration, the Charite specifically, perhaps others as well. Was there any deterioration before implantation and was ADR surgery contra-indicated but performed regardless?
Choosing your doctor carefully is probably the single most important decision in back surgery (and others as well), but also does not guarantee positive results.
My research also revealed the risk of adjacent segment deterioration is slowed, not stopped, with ADR implantation. Long term studies are hard to find because ADRs haven't been around that long. However, absolutely everyone is different and success rates vary from person to person. Surgery performed on less than an ideal candidates skews all studies - and having had two previous surgeries, I was less than an ideal candidate myself with an ADR success rate of 60-70% for which I am still grateful. From what I've read, most ADR candidates are less than ideal which would probably involve a virgin back injury.
ADRs and other disc/facet remedies are still in their infancy. Not enough is known about nerves. In fact, modern medicine in its entirety hasn't been around very long. The use of lasers is also relatively new.
The fact is, back or other sufferers can only utilize the knowledge at hand. We can wait a year or more for something new on the horizon or 5-10 years for something even newer, suffering all that time - or we can educate ourselves as best as possible on the current remedies, make our decisions based on what we feel is best, and then hope for the best. Some results will be disappointing, some maybe more debilitating but most offer some level of relief. Even choosing the best doctor and product guarantees nothing.
Discussions such as this one provide food for thought. But we all must keep in mind that today's advancements were not available yesterday and tomorrow's are not available today. In another 10-20 years ADRs may no longer be used in favor of the latest and greatest, or they may be so perfected as to guarantee a certain result - or not.
My father was lucky enough to be saved from pneumonia by a brand new drug - penicillin. Now those damned bugs are getting stronger. 65 years ago, saving premature babies in incubators caused blindness. 50 years ago, radiating tonsils instead of removing them now causes cancer and other health problems. 150 years ago, blood-letting caused death. Side effects are unknown until studied but we do have to keep on trying until medical sufferings are a piece of past history and people like us, trying something new, guina pigs though we might be, are medically necessary.
J85, welcome to the forum and I'm so sorry for your disappointing results. Even though your surgery was performed outside this country, you can still consult with American doctors. Dr. Regan, Los Angeles, comes to mind. You'll need current x-rays & MRI. You might want to contact Mark,
GPN Artificial Disc Replacement ADR for assistance in internet consultations. Good luck,
Dale