When back pain develops, medical specialists evaluate your spine and recommend appropriate treatments. Orthopedic spine surgeons focus on the musculoskeletal system, and they treat disorders of the bones, joints, and nerves. Knowing the various services these providers offer helps patients select the right professional for their medical needs. Here is more information about spinal conditions and orthopedic spine surgeries:
Evaluating Common Spinal Conditions
Because patients experience varying degrees of discomfort, an orthopedic spine surgeon will diagnose the exact root cause. They treat ailments like herniated discs, spinal stenosis, and degenerative disc disease. Some patients suffer from severe spinal deformities, and surgeons correct these issues with targeted medical interventions.
Understanding Advanced Surgical Techniques
Surgeons minimize tissue damage during minimally invasive procedures. They use computer-assisted surgery or robotic-assisted surgery to create smaller incisions, and they gain more precision during surgery. These technologies can offer the following benefits to patients:
- Shorter post-surgical hospital stay
- Reduced post-operative pain
- Less blood loss during surgery
- Faster recovery times
With these assisted technologies, surgeons still complete the procedure themselves; they use the computer or robotic assistant to increase their precision and range of motion during surgery.
Performing Minimally Invasive Procedures
When nerve compression occurs, doctors perform several operations with minimally invasive techniques. Common symptoms of nerve compression include pain, numbness, or tingling sensations in the affected area. Patients may also experience muscle weakness or a reduced range of motion, and these symptoms sometimes hinder daily activities. If left untreated, nerve compression can lead to more severe issues, such as chronic pain or permanent nerve damage.
To correct nerve compression, surgeons may conduct a laminotomy to remove a small portion of the lamina, which is part of the spinal vertebrae. Medical professionals might also choose a foraminotomy, and this procedure creates more space for the pinched nerve root. Severe spinal conditions benefit from extra space for the nerves. In these cases, surgeons execute a laminectomy to remove the entire lamina.
Other Spinal Surgeries
Doctors offer other surgical options for back pain relief for herniated discs and spinal fractures. When a herniated disc does not improve with conservative treatment, surgeons perform a microdiscectomy to extract the herniated disc material. They also execute kyphoplasty to stabilize spinal fractures and restore the height of the vertebrae, and this procedure is normally done for a spinal fracture.
A microdiscectomy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure, and it relieves nerve compression caused by a herniated disc. During the procedure, a surgeon makes a small incision and utilizes specialized instruments to remove the portion of the disc. Once the disc is removed, the nerve is no longer compressed.
For kyphoplasty, the surgeon inserts a balloon into the fractured vertebra and inflates it to create space. The proper spacing restores the height of the vertebrae, and then the surgeon injects bone cement to stabilize the vertebra and hold its position. Many patients experience relief from back pain soon after this procedure is completed.
Find an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon
Medical specialists diagnose many spinal conditions, and they use advanced techniques to treat these painful disorders. Minimally invasive approaches to surgery include computer-assisted navigation and robotic technologies. Because these modern methods reduce tissue damage, patients recover faster after their operations. If you want to learn more about the spinal surgeries available to you, consult an orthopedic spine surgeon near you.
