Numerous disorders involving the vertebrae, discs, nerves, or spinal cord are treated by spine surgery. When non-surgical therapies (physical therapy, drugs, and injections) are unable to alleviate symptoms, it is usually taken into consideration.
Typical Signs That Indicate Spine Surgery
Depending on whether the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, or sacral spine is impacted, symptoms could include:
1. Symptoms Associated with Nerves
- Ache that radiates (arm pain, sciatica).
- Limb weakness, tingling, or numbness.
- Malfunction of the bowels and bladder (cauda equina syndrome—medical emergency!).
2. Mechanical and Structural Symptoms
- Persistent neck and back ache that becomes worse as you move.
- Rigidity or decreased mobility.
- Abnormalities (kyphosis, scoliosis).
3. Symptoms of Spinal Cord Compression
- Loss of coordination or balance.
- Weakening or paralysis of the muscles.
Spine Surgery Types
1. MISS, or minimally invasive spine surgery
- Faster recovery with smaller incisions.
- Examples include vertebroplasty, laminectomy, and microdiscectomy.
2. Surgery for Decompression (Relieving Nerve Pressure)
- Discectomy: The removal of material from a herniated disc.
- Laminectomy: To relieve stenosis, a portion of the vertebra (the lamina) is removed.
- Nerve outlet gap is widened by foraminotomy.
3. Fusion/Stabilization Surgery
- Spinal Fusion: To stop motion, vertebrae are joined with bone grafts or implants.
- Used to treat fractures, severe arthritis, and spondylolisthesis.
4. Surgery to Preserve Motion
- Replacement of the artificial disc (instead of fusion).
- Dynamic Stabilization (implants that are flexible).
5. Surgery to Correct Deformities
- Correction of scoliosis (rods, screws).
- Kyphoplasty (for fractures of the vertebrae).
