What is an ALIF?

I will do my best to explain what was done in my case. If you find yourself in need of surgery speak with your physician.

First they created a 4-5 inch incision on the left side of my stomach. The approach surgeon then moved all of my internal organs over so they could get to my spine. The neurosurgeon then removed a piece of the disc between L5 and S. A mesh cage with a bone graft is placed between L5 and S. This will realign the vertebrae relieving the pressure on the nerve. A few screws were placed in order to secure everything then the incision was closed.

Over time the bone graft will grow around the cage fusing L5 and S1.