Artificial Disc Replacement in Santa Monica, CA

If you live in Santa Monica or anywhere on the Westside and you have been told you need a spinal fusion for your neck or low back, you do not have to drive to a different part of LA County for a surgeon. Dr. Kambiz Hannani has had surgical privileges at Saint John's Medical Center in Santa Monica since his Spine Surgery Fellowship there with Dr. Rick Delamarter in 2001-2002 — meaning your surgery, if you decide to have one, can be performed in your own neighborhood at the hospital just up Santa Monica Boulevard from the Pier. For Santa Monica patients considering artificial disc replacement, that local continuity matters: pre-op visits, the operation itself, and most follow-up can all happen on the Westside.

Artificial disc replacement (ADR) is a motion-preserving alternative to traditional spinal fusion. Instead of permanently locking two vertebrae together, ADR replaces the worn-out disc with an FDA-approved mechanical implant that allows the spine to keep bending and rotating naturally. For carefully selected patients dealing with chronic neck or low back pain from degenerative disc disease, it can be a substantially better long-term answer than fusion. Dr. Hannani has performed both cervical and lumbar disc replacement procedures for more than two decades.

Many of the Santa Monica patients we see arrive with a stack of MRI films and a fusion recommendation from a different practice. Some turn out to be excellent ADR candidates and leave with a very different surgical plan. Others turn out to need the fusion after all — and they leave knowing why, with the full reasoning explained. The point of the visit is an honest assessment, not a sales pitch.

What is Artificial Disc Replacement?

Between every two vertebrae in your spine sits a disc — a soft, shock-absorbing cushion that lets your spine bend, twist, and absorb load. When a disc wears out, dries out, or herniates, the result is often pain, nerve compression, weakness, and stiffness. The traditional surgical answer has been spinal fusion: remove the bad disc and bolt the two vertebrae together so they move as one. Fusion works, but it eliminates motion at that level, which can place extra stress on the levels above and below over the following years.

Artificial disc replacement is the alternative. The damaged disc is removed and replaced with an FDA-approved mechanical implant — typically a metal-and-polyethylene device — that preserves the natural motion of the spine. The patient keeps the ability to bend and rotate at that level, and the surrounding discs are spared the extra wear-and-tear they would absorb after a fusion.

ADR vs. Spinal Fusion: The Real Difference

For the right patient, ADR offers meaningful advantages over fusion:

• Motion is preserved. The treated level still bends and rotates, which feels more natural and reduces the risk of adjacent segment disease — the long-term breakdown of the discs above and below a fusion.

• Faster return to normal activity. There is no waiting for bones to fuse together. Many patients are walking the same day and back to desk work within 2 to 4 weeks.

• No bone graft harvest. Fusion often requires harvesting bone from the hip; ADR does not.

• Lower long-term re-operation risk at adjacent levels. Multiple long-term studies (5 and 10 years) now show ADR patients are less likely to need a second surgery at a neighboring disc compared with fusion patients.

Fusion still has its place — particularly for patients with significant instability, prior failed surgery, or severe arthritis at the facet joints. The right operation is the one that fits your spine, and that determination requires a careful in-person evaluation with imaging.

Cervical (Neck) vs. Lumbar (Low Back) Disc Replacement

Cervical disc replacement is the more common of the two procedures. It is most often used for patients with arm pain, numbness, or weakness from a herniated or degenerated cervical disc that has not improved with non-surgical care. The procedure is done through a small incision in the front of the neck (anterior approach), the diseased disc is removed, and the artificial disc is implanted in its place. Most patients go home the same day or after one night in the hospital.

Lumbar disc replacement is reserved for a narrower group — typically younger patients with isolated single-level degenerative disc disease in the low back, no significant facet arthritis, and no prior fusion. The lumbar implant is placed through an anterior approach (through the abdomen), which avoids cutting through back muscles and tends to result in less post-operative back pain than a posterior fusion.

Why Santa Monica Patients Choose Dr. Hannani for Disc Replacement

Dr. Hannani's connection to Santa Monica is not new. He completed his Spine Surgery Fellowship at Saint John's Medical Center in 2001-2002 under Dr. Rick Delamarter — one of the most respected names in spine fellowship training in the country. He has held surgical privileges at Saint John's continuously since then, and a meaningful portion of his Westside patient base has been with him for the better part of two decades. When a Santa Monica or Pacific Palisades patient comes in for an ADR consultation, the surgeon they are meeting has been operating at their local hospital longer than many of the newer Westside spine practices have existed.

Santa Monica patients also tend to come in well-prepared. Many are professionals — RAND researchers, attorneys, entertainment-industry executives, tech founders, physicians' family members — who have already done their reading on ADR vs. fusion and want a surgeon who will actually engage with their questions. Consultations are unhurried for exactly this reason. If you are weighing fusion against an artificial disc, that comparison deserves more than ten minutes.

Where Surgery is Performed for Santa Monica Patients

For Santa Monica and Westside patients, the typical flow is straightforward:

• Initial consultation — flexible. Most Santa Monica patients schedule the consult around a Saint John's-coordinated visit on the Westside; some prefer the West Covina office for a longer first visit. Either works.

• Surgery — performed at Saint John's Medical Center, 21st Street and Santa Monica Boulevard. This means most Westside patients never need to make the drive east at all on the day of the operation.

• Post-op follow-up — coordinated locally. Most early follow-ups can be handled near St. John's; later visits can happen at either location.

For patients in Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Mar Vista, Venice, Westwood, West LA, and Culver City, this is genuinely the closest fellowship-trained spine surgeon offering motion-preserving disc replacement at a Westside hospital.

A Patient Story

A 52-year-old attorney from Pacific Palisades came to us last year with a year of left arm pain, numbness in two fingers, and a C5-C6 disc herniation on MRI. She had been told at another Westside practice that she needed a two-level cervical fusion. On review, the C6-C7 level above looked degenerated on imaging but was not the source of her symptoms — and she still had excellent disc height and no facet arthritis at C5-C6. She underwent a single-level cervical disc replacement at Saint John's, went home the next morning, was off narcotics in five days, and was back at her firm within three weeks. Three years later her motion is preserved and the second level has not progressed.

Who is a Candidate for Artificial Disc Replacement?

Not every patient with disc pain is a candidate for ADR. The best candidates generally:

• Have pain originating from a single damaged disc (or two adjacent discs)

• Have failed at least 6 weeks of non-surgical treatment (physical therapy, medications, injections)

• Do not have severe arthritis at the small joints behind the disc (facet joints)

• Do not have significant osteoporosis

• Have not had a prior fusion at the same level

• Are typically between 18 and 60 years old, though older healthy patients can sometimes qualify

A thorough work-up — including current MRI, dynamic X-rays, and a physical examination — is the only way to know for sure. Patients who are not ADR candidates are not stuck: there are excellent fusion, decompression, and minimally invasive endoscopic options available.

What Recovery Looks Like

Cervical ADR patients are usually walking the same day, eating dinner that night, and home within 24 hours. Most are off narcotic pain medication within a week, driving within 2 weeks, and back to a desk job within 2 to 4 weeks. Heavy labor and contact sports are restricted for about 3 months.

Lumbar ADR recovery is slightly longer because of the abdominal approach. Patients typically stay 1 to 2 nights in the hospital, walk the next morning, and return to light activity in 4 to 6 weeks. For Santa Monica patients, the short ride home from St. John's is a meaningful comfort during early recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions from Santa Monica Patients

Where will my surgery be performed? At Saint John's Medical Center in Santa Monica, at 21st Street and Santa Monica Boulevard. Dr. Hannani has held surgical privileges there since his fellowship in 2001-2002 and operates there regularly. For Westside patients, this means surgery happens in your own community, not across the county.

Do I have to drive to West Covina to see Dr. Hannani? Not necessarily. The West Covina office is the practice's primary administrative location, but consultations for Santa Monica patients are often coordinated around a Westside visit. For patients who prefer the longer initial consultation in West Covina (about 35 miles, 45-60 minutes via the 10 East), that option is also available — but most Westside patients never need to make that drive.

Do you take Saint John's network insurance plans? We accept most major California PPO plans, including Medicare, Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, and United, which cover the majority of Saint John's network patients. Cervical disc replacement is a covered benefit on most of these plans when medical necessity is documented. We verify coverage individually before any visit — call us with your card and we will run the check.

I was told I need a two-level fusion. Is that ever appropriate for ADR instead? Sometimes. Two-level cervical disc replacement is FDA-approved and is the right operation for selected patients. Two-level lumbar ADR is more limited. The only way to know is a careful imaging review — bring your MRI on disc to the consultation.

How do I schedule a consultation? Call our office at 626-939-5900 or visit our contact page. Mention that you are a Santa Monica or Westside patient and we will coordinate around a Saint John's-based visit where possible. Bring any prior MRI or X-ray imaging on disc — this lets Dr. Hannani give you a meaningful opinion at the first visit.