This blog details back surgeries, their types, risks, and benefits.
What is back surgery?
The primary goal of back surgery is to eliminate back and spine pain. Several diseases can cause back pain.
Patients with back pain should consult a doctor for appropriate treatment or surgery. Any back surgery can look risky. But today, with new technology, patients can be treated with highly effective minimally invasive surgeries that can eliminate pain and shorten recovery time.
Why is back surgery performed?
People can have back surgery if they have:
In rare cases, a tumor, infection, or problem with the nerve root, known as cauda equina syndrome, causes back pain.
What types of back surgery are there?
Types of back surgery include:
Spinal fusion
During this procedure, a surgeon removes a spinal disc between two or more vertebrae to connect the adjacent vertebrae with bone grafts or metal devices with screws. Patients who choose this surgery may experience some loss of flexibility and have a long road to recovery. The recovery period allows the bone graft to develop and promotes vertebral fusion.
Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty
These two procedures are performed by surgeons to restore compression fractures of the vertebrae due to osteoporosis. In both of these procedures, the patient is injected with a glue-like bone cement that hardens to strengthen the bone.
Spinal laminectomy or spinal decompression
If spinal stenosis narrows the spinal canal, causing pain, numbness, or weakness. However, this procedure relieves pressure on the nerves by removing the bony walls of the vertebrae or any bony processes that expose the spinal column.
Discectomy
A herniated disc that puts pressure on a nerve root or spinal cord, causing pain, is removed during a discectomy procedure. Two procedures performed together laminectomy and discectomy.
Foraminotomy
Here, the bony opening where the nerve root exits the spinal canal expands, preventing bulging discs or joints that thicken with age from pressing on the nerve.
Nucelloplasty, also known as plasma disc decompression
It is a laser surgery that uses radio frequency energy. The procedure treats low back patients who experience pain from a mild herniated disc. In this procedure, the surgeon inserts a needle into the disc through which the plasma laser device is also inserted, and the tip is heated. Thus, evaporation of the tissues in the disc reduces its size and relieves pressure on the nerves.
What is the recovery time after back surgery?
After back surgery, patients may experience pain. After discussing different pain management options with your doctor, some treatment options include:
- Medications include opioids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, and local anesthetics.
What are the benefits of back surgery?
Advantages of back surgery:
- Increases physical fitness and mobility
- Restores normal activity
- Increases productivity
- Reduces back pain
When to seek medical help?
If the patient has complications, he should immediately contact the attending physician.
What are the risks of back surgery?
As with any surgery, so does back surgery. However, back surgery carries more risk than other types of surgery because it is performed near the nervous system. Paralysis and infections are the most serious types of back surgery risks.
Although surgery can be successful, recovery time can depend on the type of surgery and the patient’s health prior to surgery. This affects recovery times of up to several months. The probability of eventual loss of flexibility is high.
Conclusion
Several diseases can cause pain associated with back pain. People should consult with their doctor to discuss treatment options because they will try different non-surgical treatments before back surgery. Depending on the condition of people, doctors perform different back surgeries.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What are the biggest risks of back surgery?
The most significant risk of back surgery is that the procedure may not relieve pain. The patient should discuss their options openly with the surgeon so that they are aware of their health status. The surgeon can also explain the procedure before it is performed.
2. What kind of anesthesia will doctors use for back surgery?
Doctors use general anesthesia to perform back surgery.
