Artificial Disc Replacement in West LA / Westwood

If you live in West LA or Westwood, you already understand the value of UCLA's medical training — it is essentially the academic backbone of the neighborhood. Dr. Kambiz Hannani completed his orthopedic surgery residency at UCLA and his Spine Surgery Fellowship at St. John's in Santa Monica under Dr. Rick Delamarter, one of the pioneers of artificial disc replacement in the United States. For a Westside patient who has been told they need a neck or low-back fusion, that training matters: ADR is a sub-specialized procedure, and the surgeons who do it well are the ones who learned it from the people who developed it.

Dr. Hannani's primary office is in West Covina, about 25 to 30 miles east of Westwood (roughly 45 minutes via the 10 East). For Westside patients, surgery itself is generally performed at Saint John's Medical Center in Santa Monica — about a 10 minute drive south of West LA — so the operation happens close to home even if the consultation does not. That arrangement works well for the kind of patient we see from Westwood, Brentwood, Mar Vista, Sawtelle, Cheviot Hills, Beverly Glen, and Century City: people who want a UCLA-trained surgeon without traveling far on surgery day.

Many of the West LA patients who come to us are already deep into their own research — UCLA faculty, hospital staff, attorneys, tech professionals — and they want a surgeon who can actually compare ADR against fusion using their imaging, not a generic explanation. That is the kind of consultation we run.

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 West LA Patients Choose Dr. Hannani for Disc Replacement

There is no shortage of spine surgeons on the Westside. The reason West LA and Westwood patients still travel to Dr. Hannani for ADR comes down to three things. First, training: orthopedic surgery residency at UCLA followed by a Spine Surgery Fellowship at St. John's in Santa Monica under Dr. Rick Delamarter — one of the surgeons who literally helped develop modern artificial disc replacement in the U.S. Second, experience: more than 20 years performing both cervical and lumbar ADR since completing that fellowship. Third, the consultation style: unhurried, second-opinion friendly, and oriented toward giving you the operation you actually need — not necessarily the one you were first told you needed.

A surgeon's incentive structure matters. Dr. Hannani is comfortable telling a patient "you do not need surgery yet," "you need a fusion, not an ADR," or "you need an ADR, not a fusion" — whichever is honest. The Westside patient base — academic, well-read, often physicians or family-of-physicians themselves — tends to recognize the difference quickly.

Where Surgery is Performed for West LA Patients

For Westside patients who decide to proceed with surgery, the operation is typically scheduled at Saint John's Medical Center in Santa Monica — about a 10 minute drive south of Westwood and a familiar facility for many West LA residents. This is the same hospital where Dr. Hannani completed his spine fellowship; the OR team and equipment are well set up for ADR. For selected outpatient minimally invasive procedures, surgery may also be coordinated at the Advanced Surgical Center of Beverly Hills.

The initial consultation is at the West Covina office, but for West LA patients we are flexible: imaging can be reviewed remotely first, and we make every effort to keep your travel to a minimum. Most patients make the drive east only once or twice; surgery, pre-op, and post-op visits stay close to home.

A Patient Story

A 44-year-old UCLA assistant professor from Westwood came in with eight months of progressive neck pain and numbness shooting into her left thumb and index finger. MRI showed a single-level C6-C7 disc herniation. She had been told at one Westside practice that she needed a two-level cervical fusion; on review, the C5-C6 level looked aged on imaging but did not match her clinical picture, and the C6-C7 disc still had good height with no facet arthritis. She underwent a single-level cervical disc replacement at St. John's, went home the next morning, was off narcotics within five days, and was back to teaching on Zoom by the following Monday. Two years later her neck rotation 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.

Frequently Asked Questions from West LA Patients

Are you affiliated with UCLA Medical Center / Ronald Reagan UCLA? Dr. Hannani is UCLA-trained — he completed his orthopedic surgery residency at UCLA — but he does not currently hold surgical privileges at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. We want to be straightforward about that distinction. The training is the same; the operating hospital is different. For Westside patients, surgery is typically performed at Saint John's in Santa Monica, where Dr. Hannani completed his spine fellowship.

Where will my surgery actually happen? For most West LA patients, at Saint John's Medical Center in Santa Monica — about a 10 minute drive south of Westwood. Selected outpatient minimally invasive cases may be coordinated at the Advanced Surgical Center of Beverly Hills. The West Covina office is for consultation, in-office procedures, and follow-up.

How long is the drive from Westwood to your West Covina office for the initial consultation? Roughly 25 to 30 miles via the 10 East — typically 45 minutes outside of rush hour, longer at peak times. We work hard to make your first visit count: bring your imaging on disc and we will do a thorough review the same day so you do not need to repeat the trip.

I was told I need a two-level cervical fusion. Could I be an ADR candidate instead? Sometimes. Two-level cervical disc replacement is FDA-approved and is the right operation for selected patients — particularly when the second level is not the true source of symptoms or still has reasonable disc height. The only way to know is a careful review of your actual MRI. Many patients told they need a two-level fusion turn out to be excellent single-level or two-level ADR candidates.

How do I schedule a consultation? Call our office at 626-939-5900 or visit our contact page. Bring any prior MRI or X-ray imaging on disc if you have it — this lets Dr. Hannani give you a meaningful opinion at the first visit.