When we say lower back surgery, the term is actually a misnomer. What we call “lower back surgery” is normally just lumbar spine surgery or lower spinal surgery. There are only some indications for lower spinal surgery.
These indications are…
•When traditional therapy doesn’t improve discomfort alleviation
•When there are signs of focal neurologic concerns, such as leg weakness, sexual disorder (impotence), impairment of bladder or bowel management (occurs when central lumbar disc herniation causes spinal abscess or cauda equina syndrome)
•When intensifying nerve issues are found which are triggered by herniated discs
•Spine damage
Specific causes of lower back pain is handled with a certain type of lower back surgery. Some patients may need only one type of surgery while other might require numerous types in order to secure the difficult area.
Some of the most prevalent types of lower back surgery are outlined below…
•Discectomy/Microdiscectomy: The operation entails taking away the herniated portion of a disc that has impinged upon a nerve. Through discectomy, the discomfort and inflammation on the compressed nerve will be relieved. The operation may include complete or partial elimination of the posterior portion of the affected vertebra (called the “lamina”) to be able to access the ruptured disc.
•Laminectomy: The spinal nerve will be alleviated of stress from herniated discs or bone spurs through their elimination in this treatment. The spinal canal will also be increased in size during the laminectomy operation to ease the strain caused by spinal stenosis and spondylolisthesis on the nerve. This procedure may be conducted with spinal fusion as a way to achieve stabilization in the afflicted area.
•Foramenotomy: In contrast to discectomy, this operation will extract all the bones and tissues that impinge upon the nerve as it leaves the spinal column via the intervertebral foramen. This is done when the nerve is being squeezed by more than just a herniated disc.
•Spinal Fusion: Two or more bones in the spine will be permanently connected with the application of screws, plates, or bone bridges. Through this treatment, the soreness generated by injured and degenerated discs and spinal cracks can be alleviated and the spine will have greater solidity.
•Vertebroplasty: Cracks are stabilized by injecting bone cement into compressed vertebrae which will help reduce the pain.
•Kyphoplasty: Compacted vertebrae can return back to its normal size by inserting and inflating a balloon in between it and this treatment is a variant of vertebroplasty. The bare spaces created during the expansion will be injected with cement. Back pain generated by osteoporotic and compression fractures can be addressed by undergoing kyphoplasty and spinal deformities like scoliosis, kyphosis, lordosis, and height loss can also be averted.
•Spinal cord stimulator implant: This procedure involves implanting a spinal cord stimulator that will help reduce the soreness and other indications of sciatica and other chronic nerve root conditions and this is a minimally-invasive technique.
•Lumbar Artificial Disc Replacement: An alternative to spinal fusion, this is a new procedure which is currently being considered. The operation entails the implantation of artificial discs that would prevent painful compression between two vertebrae because of a damaged or degenerated disc.
The usefulness of spinal surgery on the treatment of lower back pain is debatable though it is quite effective in dealing with various spinal ailments. What most studies have revealed is that the benefits of spinal surgery are finite when managing degenerative discs with indications of spinal discomfort.
Be sure to consider other options before resorting to surgery. Also, there is an increased chance of complications in the application of spinal implants, including dangers of blood loss, nerve damage, infection, and even repeat lower back surgery, compared to spinal fusion.