Orthopedic surgeons used to routinely fuse knees and hips, and today we couldn't even imagine that being a standard of care. So why is it still common to fuse the spine? Dr. Ahilan Sivaganesan explains why spine has fallen behind other joints in the body. When you fuse a knee or a hip, the impact is clear and you can see it in how the person moves almost right away. The spine doesn't always show itself the same way. When fusing the spine, although patients can experience pain and/or symptom reli