Laminectomy and Intervertebral Disc Removal, explained by Dr. Leonard Marchinski

WYOMISSING, Pa. - March 8, 2019 - PRLog -- One of the major problems people face because of their inactive lifestyle is back pain. Dr. Leonard J. Marchinski is providing his thoughts on this subject in a new article. The complete article will be available on Dr. Marchinski's blog at https://leonardmarchinskimd.wordpress.com/

Constant back pain makes it difficult for people to carry out daily tasks such as walking, bending and climbing the stairs. They even find it difficult to sit in one position because of the nagging pain. Some people get rid of this pain through medicines while others have to undergo complex surgical procedures for relieving back pain. Let's take a look at two surgical procedures that are widely used to treat back problems.

It is the process of removing the lamina – the bone that makes up the curved portion of your spinal cord. The lamina is usually removed when it starts compressing the nerves present inside the spinal cord. The compression makes it difficult for people to walk around because of terrible pain and extreme discomfort in the back, arms or legs.

The nerves are compressed because of an overgrowth inside the spinal cord. This bony overgrowth is usually a result of spinal arthritis but some people develop these overgrowths as part of the aging process.

General anesthesia is administered before back surgery. The surgeon will make a small incision on your back at the site of the bony overgrowth. They will then remove the lamina using small surgical tools. The incision will be sealed and you will be kept under observation for a few days until you fully recover from the surgery.

Also known as discectomy, this surgical procedure is used to remove the disc that connects two adjacent vertebrae of your spinal cord. This connective disc may be removed due to a number of reasons such as continuous back pain that doesn't subside with medication, a herniated disc, and extreme leg pain.

The doctor will inspect your spinal cord through x-ray scans to locate the intervertebral disc that's causing trouble. You will be called in for surgery after you have cleared all the initial screening tests. General anesthesia will be administered before the surgery starts so that your body becomes numb and you do not feel anything. Next, the doctor will make a small incision on top of your backbone and remove the intervertebral disc. The incision will be sealed and you will be kept under observation until you fully recover from the surgery.

Just like every other surgery, there are a few potential complications associated with back surgeries such as laminectomy and discectomy. Here is a list of the possible complications:

* Spinal nerve damage
* Development of blood clots
* Bleeding
* Infection at the surgical site
* Spinal fluid leak
* Recurring back pain

If the above-mentioned potential complications associated with back surgeries have made you nervous, here's a fact that will ease your mind. Around 525,000 back procedures have been carried out in 2011 and that is a huge number. If there are so many people out there who have solved their back pain problem through surgery, maybe such surgery is for you! Book an appointment with your doctor to discuss the possibility of back surgery to treat the pain.

*** Dr. Leonard J. Marchinski is a medical doctor in Pennsylvania, focusing on orthopedic surgery.

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