Category: Back & Spine Conditions

Most people who get back surgery often experience benefits like moving around better, improved fitness, better mood, decreased intake of pain medicines, and more productivity at work. These are the 3 most popular types of back surgeries:

Spinal Fusion Surgery
A spinal fusion is a procedure that involves the permanent fusion of two or more vertebrae for more stability and bone growth. The surgeon usually harvests small pieces of bone from the patient’s hip or pelvic bone and places them between the vertebrae. In certain cases, they also use rods, screws, wires, or metal plates to provide immediate stability.

Lumbar Laminectomy
A lumbar laminectomy is a surgical procedure in which bone is removed from the lower spine to relieve pressure on the spinal nerve. This procedure is highly effective in alleviating pain caused by neural impingement that can result from lumbar stenosis.

Microdiscectomy
Also known as microlumbar discectomy (MLD), microdiscectomy is a procedure performed to reduce pain for patients with a herniated disc. A surgeon usually removes the herniated portion of the disc (the jelly) and any broken disc fragments that are putting pressure on a nerve root.

If you are looking for a back surgeon West Palm Beach for any kind of surgery, make sure to check the surgeon’s qualifications and experience with the spine surgery you are considering.

The infographic titled “Myths About Spine Surgery, West Palm Beach” describes a few common misconceptions about spine surgery. Many people think that a minimally invasive surgery is an operation where an arbitrarily small incision is used. However, the maximum incision size used in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (MISS) has a quantifiable value: precisely one inch or less in length. The small size leads to less bleeding and pain during and after the procedure. Traditional spine surgery involves much larger cuts, and therefore greater risks of infection and pain.

Another common myth about spine surgery is that all spine surgeries involve a lot of pain and long recoveries. However, MISS significantly lowers pain and shortens recovery time. Many patients can resume to their daily routines within a few days. As MISS is less invasive than traditional spine surgeries, it also reduces long-term pain and complications.

Many people think that minimally invasive spine surgery is experimental. In reality, MISS is a highly researched, proven procedure and is extremely effective. To know more about popular spine surgery related misconceptions, refer to the infographic.

In spinal fractures, a fracture or displacement of a vertebra can cause bone fragments to pinch and harm the spinal nerves or spinal cord. A spinal fracture may occur due to car accidents, sports, falls, gunshots, etc. A fracture in the spine, usually caused by osteoporosis, is generally referred to as a compression fracture. The foremost symptom of spinal compression fractures is back pain. The pain may get worse over time.

Compression fractures are most common in women over 50 years of age because of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is the medical term for low bone density, and it is most common in women over 50, though it can occur in men as well.

Apart from back pain, various other symptoms of spinal compression fractures include:

Severe back pain when you stand or walk but some relief when you lie down

Difficulty in bending or twisting your body

A curved, stooped shape to your spine

Loss of height

Limited spinal mobility

Though most fractures heal with traditional treatment, severe fractures may require spine surgery in Florida to realign the bones.

Despite several months or years of nonsurgical treatments, back pain can become intolerable. If you are still suffering from chronic, unbearable back pain in spite of several conservative treatments, your physician may recommend back surgery. Choosing the right type of back surgery in Florida for your spine condition usually depends on the location of your condition.

Depending upon the damaged area of spine, surgeons can use different minimally invasive techniques to perform the surgery. With the advances in medical technology and orthopedic surgery, minimally invasive spine surgery has become increasingly popular. In this procedure, specialized instruments are used to access the spine through small incisions. Patients who suffer from chronic back pain are finding minimally invasive spine surgery an excellent alternative to traditional open back surgery.

When performed by an experienced spine surgeon, a minimally invasive procedure reduces the risk and recovery time. The advantages of this procedure include a shorter hospital stay, less narcotic use, potentially shorter recovery time, and less pain. The procedure is performed by making a small, 1-inch incision. As minimally invasive spine surgery does not involve a long incision, it avoids major damage to the muscles surrounding the spine.

Over the last few decades, the procedures used to perform spine surgery have come a long way. Minimally invasive spine surgery has become a standard in treating a number of spine injuries and illnesses that were once treated with open back surgery.

Spinal fusion surgery is one of the most popular surgery options that can be used to treat spine conditions such as spondylolisthesis, retrolesthesis, anterolesthesis, pars-fracture, scoliosis, spinal instability and spinal fractures, degenerative disc disease, spinal tumors, infections, and Scheuermann’s disease. When the small bones in the spine, also known as vertebrae, shift or move out of place as a result of trauma or a spinal condition, it can cause instability and movement in the spine, and eventually leads to chronic pain.

However, by joining the two vertebrae together with a bone graft, the procedure can treat the pain and instability caused by the free moving vertebrae. The bone graft works together with the body’s own healing mechanisms to help fuse and even out the vertebrae over a period of time after surgery. The recovery time and ability to return to routine physical activities after a spine surgery in St. Thomas may vary from patient to patient.