Each one of us would have experienced back pain at least once in our lifetime. The pain arises due to various causes like aging, wear and tear, etc. It can be due to certain accidents leading to the damage of the lower back. There are several medications and therapies available with the help of which you can treat this condition. However, if the condition does not improve, the last option is back surgery.
The surgery may be required if you have deliberate pain and numbness because of the compression of the spinal nerves. The disks may be bulged or ruptured when the broken bones or other damages make your spine lose the stability and all other measures fail to bring relief. Other conditions like scoliosis or spine curvature, kyphosis or humpback deformity, spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, radiculopathy and degenerative disk disease may also require surgery for getting relief. There are various types of back surgeries. The type chosen depends on the condition of the person.
Types of back surgery
1. Artificial disks: This is an alternative to the fusion surgery. This type is used for treating pain due to injured or degenerated disks. The spine gets artificial disk implants. The success of this surgery is significantly high. The advantage is that no bone graph from the hip is taken and so the healing takes place quickly.
2. Discectomy: This is an open surgery where the herniated part of the vertebra, which may spread downward due to the inflamed nerve, is removed. The surgery is done under general anesthesia and takes about one hour to complete. It also depends on other factors of the patient.
3. Fusion surgery: Two or more bones are joined with the help of this surgery. Metal devices or bone grafts are used for joining. The surgery is done for reducing the pain due to disk injury. This is usually done to stop the movement of a painful vertebral segment. There are various approaches to this surgery and each involves bone graft.
4. Laminectomy: In this surgery, one or two sides of the lamina are removed to widen the spinal canal. This reduces the pressure on the spinal cord. The ligament joining the vertebrae with the lamina is removed, thus making the nerve root visible. The nerve is then pulled back to the central part of the spinal column.
5. Nucleoplasty: This surgery is done for people who are suffering from herniated disk and those who suffer from the pain frequently. A radiofrequency energy wand is inserted to the herniated disc to reduce the inflammation. The surgery is done with local anesthesia and takes only 30 minutes to complete. The patient can return to work in a weeks time.
6. Vertebroplasty: The surgery involves injecting cement into the vertebra. This is done to provide support the osteoporosis compression fractures and relieve pain. This surgery is minimally invasive and image-guided therapy for relieving back pain due to the fracture of vertebral body. It increases the mobility, reduces the narcotic needs, and prevents vertebral collapse.
Spinal cord stimulation, intradiscal electrothermal therapy, and foraminotomy are certain other types of surgery for back pain. Not all these procedures may provide 100 percent recovery from the pain. Each type has its own merits and demerits. However, this will help you to know about the various treatment options available. The doctor will help you to decide the best method to treat your pain according to your body condition.
Benefits of back surgery
The most important reason why people opt for surgery is to reduce the pain and get relief. After the surgery, many patients feel less pain. This helps them to increase their activity, improve their physical fitness and mood, take fewer medications for pain, and enhance the productivity at work. Though many people benefit from surgery, the doctors will not be able to predict whether it will work for all or not. Sometimes, the pain improves either by using other non-surgical methods or by itself.
Associated risks
Most of the patients who undergo the surgery do feel relieved after the surgery. Some people, however, may experience certain risks that include bleeding, reaction to anesthesia, infection, stroke, heart attack, and blood clots. Sometimes there can be recurrent disk herniation too. If there is nerve damage, it can result in various conditions like paralysis, weakness, pain, loss of bowel control, and sexual dysfunction. The risks may vary from one person to another. It also depends on the type of surgery performed. The best way to reduce the risk is by speaking to your doctor before the surgery. He will guide you appropriately and help you to minimize the risks.
