Your back is incredibly sturdy and helps to shape your posture and keep you upright. There are times, however, when you may experience problems in the bones of the spinal cord press of the nerves.
This can give rise to chronic pain and often doctors use laminectomy to treat the condition. Using this method, your doctor will remove bones and tissues from the affected nerve, thus reducing the pressure on the nerve.
In addition to pain, pressure on the nerves may also cause loss of function in some areas of the lower body. The necessity for surgery depends on many factors. in severe cases, where the loss of function is possible or if pressure on the nerves becomes chronic, surgery is a necessity.
In some cases, the problem may be managed through exercise and other treatments. If these do not offer the expected results, then surgery is recommended. This procedure offers a number of great benefits, but before you undergo the procedure, you should learn as much as you can about it.
Details About the Procedure
It is important to be in good general health before undergoing the treatment. To begin the procedure, your surgeon will remove the bones and tissues that might be putting pressure on the nerves. if excessive amounts of bones are required to be removed, your surgeon may then strengthen the spine by using an implant.
Sometimes, a fusion may be performed which does not require an external implant but may cause some loss of movement due to the bones being melded together.
After the surgery, you will be spending a few days at the hospital. Once the doctors are sure that you are okay enough to leave, you will need to have someone drive you home. During the recovery process, you might experience pain and swelling, as is the case with many surgical procedures. This can be managed through medications prescribed by your doctor.
You will also be confined to the bed for a few days in order to recover properly. You should avoid strenuous exercise, but you may take short walks. Some patients may need assistance walking. Other things you should avoid are heavy lifting and bending. The stitches will be removed a few days after the surgery. During this time, you should avoid going on long journeys.
The length of your recovery time depends on the extent of the procedure you have to undergo. if only some bone and tissues were removed for releasing the pressure on the nerves, you can expect to walk around in a few day’s time. However, if procedures to strengthen the spine were also performed, you may need to wait for a few weeks before you are able to resume normal activities.
A laminectomy is just one of the procedures available to treat back pain. Typically, this is performed on patients with chronic pain due to pressure on the nerves. The success of the surgery depends on many factors and you may experience a reduction in pain a few weeks after the surgery.
Contact Our Office
Having consistent back pain can ruin your day-to-day life. If you’re tired of the discomfort, you can remedy it with the perfect procedure. If you’re interested in learning more about a laminectomy, contact our office to schedule an appointment with Dr. Kevin James, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon.
