Spinal stenosis surgery is a surgical procedure that aims to correct herniated discs in the spine and is a procedure that sufferers opt for when exercise, medicine, and therapy do not provide the needed relief. It is considered the final option because it as a major surgical procedure that would cost money.
Spinal stenosis is a condition where in the spinal cord experiences pressure due to changes in the spine due to age, lifestyle, or illness. Age related causes of spinal stenosis are osteoarthritis, which can produce over growths that narrow the spinal canal, ligament thickening, which can also narrow the said canal, and degeneration of the disks which causes a condition akin to herniated disks in sciatica. Lifestyle cause could be attributed to spinal injuries, such is that developed through improper weight lifting. Illnesses that generate spinal stenosis symptoms could be tumors and Paget’s disease. Spinal stenosis symptoms are dependent on which portion of the spine is affected. Symptoms can range to being relatively painless to weakness, back pains, and loss of control over body functions.
Spinal stenosis surgery is a last resort when therapy via decompression or spinal stenosis exercises does not alleviate conditions. Hospitals will perform a variety of tests to determine the best way to perform the operation such as x-rays, bone scans, MRI, and CT myelogram. The findings will lead to one of the several spinal stenosis surgery options such as endoscopic dissectomy where a small tube is guided via the help of x-ray fluoroscopy to remove and repair damaged material and is the option used to perform lumbar spinal stenosis surgery, or laminectomy where in the back is cut open to allow the doctor to remove the lamina to give the spine more space and is a very invasive procedure that takes a lot of recovery time, or foraminotomy where a small opening is made near the site where a nerve root branches off the spinal canal so that removal or damaged material could be performed, or laminotomy, which is a less invasive version of laminectomy where only a small portion of the lamina is removed using a smaller incision to access the spine.
Recovery time for Endoscopic dissectomy is fast, the patient can leave the hospital in the same day. Foraminototmy and laminotomy are follows by virtue of being less invasive than laminectomy. Laminectomy takes the longest spinal stenosis surgery recovery time because of the size of the incision, blood loss, and the need to monitor the patient to preclude complications that may arise. In the last case scenario the doctor will prescribe pain killing medication that can be taken orally or intravenously via a tube. The patient will be able to take a wash the area in two weeks without the need to cover the incision with gauze. Driving, or any other activity that stresses the back will not be allowed for six weeks. A change in profession may be required if the patient is involved in manual labor. Complete recovery from spinal stenosis surgery happens in six months.