Spine surgery is the last resort for relieving back pain after trying medication and physical therapy. But there is no guarantee that surgery will lead to good results though there are many surgical options. Now there are minimal invasive treatments such as the Mild procedure of Vertos Med that might be an option as well to consider before surgery. Definitely consult your doctor to see if this is an option.
You need to learn as much as you can about surgery as it will help you decide to make the right choice.Also, you need to take the advice from the likes of best doctor for spine surgery in India.
Here are the benefits of spinal surgery:
- Helps in your better movement
- You become more fit physically
- There is improvement in your mood and psychological status
- Less dependence on pain medication
- You can resume work
- You become more productive at work
But like any surgery, there are the following risks:
- Adverse reaction to anaesthesia
- Infection
- Bleeding
- Blood clots, like in your lungs or legs
- Herniated disk
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- Nerve damage ending in paralysis, pain, weakness, loss of bowel and bladder control.
There are different types of spinal surgery. The main ones are:
- Spinal fusion: Most common procedure for back pain. The spinal bones or vertebrae will be joined together by your doctor. This puts a limit on motion between the bones and the extent of stretching of your nerves. However, it will not put limits on your activity. In rare cases, the bones do not fuse totally. Smoking aggravates this process. You might need a second operation, in this case.
- Laminectomy: This procedure involves removal of portions of ligaments, bone spurs or bones in the back. This gets rid of pressure on nerves of the spine and can alleviate weakness and pain. The spine may become less stable, in which case you will also need a spinal fusion surgery.
- Foraminotomy: The bone at the sides of your vertebrae is cut away to make wide the space at the location where nerves exit from the spine. The additional space lessens pressure on the nerves and alleviates pain. Even this procedure compromises the stability of the spine and spinal fusion may also be needed, which increases the recovery time.
- Diskectomy: The disk or cushion which separates the vertebrae may slip out of space, put pressure on a spinal nerve and result in back pain. In this surgery, part or whole of the disk may be removed. A large cut in the back may be needed or sometimes, a small one will suffice. Sometimes this surgery may be part of other surgeries like spinal fusion, laminectomy or foraminotomy.
- Disk replacement: The spinal disk that is damaged is removed by the surgeon who inserts a synthetic one in between the vertebrae. As opposed to spinal fusion, this procedure allows you to move the spine. Also, recovery time is shorter. But the new disk can slip and fall out of space and need repair.
- Interlaminar implant: A U-shaped device is inserted by the surgeon between two vertebrae of the lower back. It opens up the space between them and reduces pressure on the spinal nerve. It can be done along with a laminectomy. In contrast to spinal fusion, the implant makes the back stable and you can resume movement like normal. But bending backwards might still be a problem.
The biggest risk of spinal surgery is not knowing whether the results will be positive. Search for best spine surgeons in India to make use of the best talent available.