Understanding Common Procedures in Advanced Spine Surgery

The experienced spine specialists recommend advanced spine surgery only after the non-surgical treatments like physical therapy and pain medication fail. They even decide the most appropriate type of spinal surgery after detecting the exact source of back pain.

Hence, the surgical approaches and procedures in advanced spine surgery differ from one patient to another. But the spine surgeons normally recommend a number of common types of spine surgery to patients according to their precise health condition.

Brief Overview of Common Procedures in Advanced Spine Surgery

Foraminotomy

Sometimes spinal problems are created due to compression of nerves in the back. While performing foraminotomy, the spine surgeons remove the tissues or parts of the bone that compress the nerves in the spinal column. Sometimes the surgeons have to perform spinal fusion in addition to foraminotomy to keep the stability of the spine intact.

Discectomy

The spine surgeons perform discectomy to surgically treat herniated disc in the vertebrae. While performing the spine surgery procedure, they reduce pressure on the compressed nerves by removing the herniated intervertebral disc. They can even remove all or parts of the herniated intervertebral disc according to precise health conditions of the patient.

Laminectomy

While treating spinal problems caused due to spondylolisthesis and stenosis, the spine surgeons perform laminectomy to reduce pressure on the spinal nerves by removing parts of the backbone. Sometimes the surgeons even perform laminectomy and spine fusion surgery together to keep the patient’s spine stable in future.

Laminotomy

Like laminectomy, laminotomy also reduces pressure on the compressed spinal nerve by removing tissues. But many spine surgeons prefer laminotomy to laminectomy to remove less bone or tissues. While performing laminotomy, the surgeons remove a portion of the vertebral arch (lamina) which covers the spinal cord.

Spinal Fusion

The surgical procedure aims to keep spine stability intact by joining two vertebrae together surgically. Once the two vertebrae are joined properly, the nerves start moving smoothly without being stretched. The spinal surgeons normally use bone grafts and specific spinal instrument to join the vertebrae properly.

Spinal Disc Replacement

As an alternative to spinal fusion, spinal disc replacement procedure aims to get the injured spinal disc replaced with an artificial spinal disc. As an advanced procedure in spine surgery, disc replacement helps spine surgeons to replace the damaged spinal disc which is present between the vertebrae.

On the whole, the spine surgeons always decide the most appropriate type of spine surgery after assessing a patient’s health condition elaborately and consistently. But it is always important for the patients to consult a spine surgeon who has experience in implementing complex spine surgical techniques and leveraging advanced spinal instrumentation.