I know about this pain because my uncle had this pain.
My opinion is that in general, insurance companies have it right regarding lumbar fusion surgery, but they are inconsistent in their policy regarding lumbar fusion surgery for disc related low back pain. They acknowledge the diagnosis exists by allowing artificial disc replacement, but for some reason they do not believe that lumbar fusion is a legitimate option for the same diagnosis.
It would make sense to stick with a tried and true treatment like anterior lumbar fusion for one-level disc related chronic low back pain, and approve new technology such as artificial disc replacement only after it is shown to be superior, not just equal.
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