In most cases of spinal problems, every other form of treatment will be resorted to before surgery is prescribed. This is because it involves the spine which is such a sensitive and important part of your body and however good the surgeon is, spinal surgery brings with it an element of risk. In most instances, pain medication, rest and the right exercises will put the back right but in certain cases, all these measures are not enough. So you need to look at spine surgery because it isn’t much of a life putting up with pain and missing out on living.
Spinal surgery is usually recommended when the pain cannot be managed by other means for around six months. There are different types of spine surgery options and each type would be recommended for that particular condition. The most common type of surgery is a Discectomy which is mostly done when it happens to be a herniated disk and the portion of the disk which causes the problem is removed and the pressure on the spine relieved. Another type is surgery is called Laminectomy which is done to remove the portion of bone that causes the problem and this relieves the pressure. This type of surgery is called for when the condition happens to be spinal stenosis or spondylolisthesis. Then, there is Foramenotomy where a bit of tissue as well as bone can be removed in order to relieve the pressure on the spine.
In many instances, spinal fusion may be recommended and this is often done after one of the above has been done. After the pressure is relieved by surgically removing the offending portion, there might be a need to fuse the vertebrae in that area together to prevent further motion and to make it stable. Very often, a bone graft is done here to make sure the spine does not suffer from loss of length. Spinal fusion keeps improving over the years and there are many devices that help it deliver much better results. Among them are pedicle screws and interbody cages which are used to fuse the bones together and make them motion-proof. These devices are made of substances that are inert and not capable of causing infection. The materials usually used are titanium, allograft bone or PEEK/carbon. This also helps to heal the portion where the problem arose. Or, there could be a spinal disk replacement surgery done where a whole disk is replaced.
More and more surgeons today are opting for newer methods of spinal surgery, very often ignoring spinal fusion for interspinous process spacers. These can be placed anywhere along the spine where there is a need for them and they keep the spine stable and free from pain. The latest in spine surgery of course, is laser technology and more and more people are trying this out as it means minimal invasive surgery. With such a small incision, with a local and not a general anesthetic, with five days maximum in hospital – very often, you can go home the same day – this type of surgery is getting more and more popular.