Spinal Fusion Alternatives Resources
Resources
An open discectomy is performed under general anesthesia. The procedure takes about an hour or so, depending on the extent of the disc herniation, the size of the patient, and other factors. A discectomy is done with the patient lying face down, and the back pointing upwards.
If your back condition progresses far enough and does not heal through conventional treatment, lumbar spine surgery may be recommended.
If conservative treatment methods have failed you and you are still looking for relief, an anterior cervical discectomy may help to relieve your chronic neck pain.
When considering undergoing spine surgery there are a few choices out there and one of them could be a Facet Thermal Ablation. Unlike conventional back surgery, this laser spine surgery procedure is minimally invasive helping the patient heal faster and get on with life!
Most common back pain conditions are usually treatable through conservative methods, but unlike these other back pain problems conventional treatment methods for foraminal stenosis rarely provide much back pain relief.
Treatments
The term foraminotomy is derived from the Latin words foramen (hole, opening, aperture) and -otomy (act of cutting, incision).
Once everything is in place, the surgeon can begin the procedure. Some patients feel immediate relief during the laminotomy as the nerve(s) are released. By decompressing the spinal canal the patient's symptoms of back and/or leg pain will resolve.
The surgeon uses a laser to clean the facet joint and deaden the nerve that innervates the joint and causes painful symptoms.
Unfortunately, for the patient who has a fusion about 25% of all grafts do not take and it is necessary for another fusion to be performed, less than 50% of conventional surgeries, including fusions, do not alleviate the pain and symptoms, recuperation is long and painful, fusions may cause other spine conditions down the road.
During this procedure the laser, camera, suction, irrigation and other surgical instruments are manipulated through a working tube.
Symptoms
Often when there is a presence of lumbar spinal stenosis, numbness or dull pain will be felt in the lower extremities.
When a bone spur impinges on a nerve in the cervical section of the spine, pain can often be a symptom and is felt in the area of the arm dependent on the affected nerve.
When symptoms of pain are felt in the buttocks and hips along with radiating waves of pain down the legs and into the feet, it is most often a clear indication that there is a presence of sciatica due to impingement of the sciatic nerve.
When arthritis affects the joints in the spine patients often feel symptoms of stiffness or a reduction in spinal mobility.
Back pain is one of the most common symptoms for conditions that affect the joints in the back.