Herniated Disc Repair – Surgery for the Spine

In your spine, there are small, spongy discs that cushion the bones forming the spine. These discs work as shock absorbers for the spine making it flexible. Sometimes, all or part of a spinal disc is forced through a weakened part of the disc placing pressure on nearby nerves. This condition is known as herniated disc. It may be caused by:

·         Age. The advancing age may wear out the disc making them less flexible.

·         Spinal injury. A spinal injury may cause cracks in the hard outer layer of the disc forcing out the gel inside the disc. This may cause the disc to bulge or break open into pieces.

A herniated disc mostly affects people in their middle age or old age and those who perform strenuous physical activity. Among other causes, congenital conditions affecting the size of the lumbar spinal canal may also cause the problem.

The condition may be characterized by varying low back or neck pain. The pain may be mild tingling, dull ache or burning, pulsating. The pain may be severe enough making the patient unable to move. Here may also be numbness. Depending on the area affected, the pain may mostly affect one side of the body. In a lumbar herniated disc, there may be a sharp pain in part of the leg, hip or buttocks. There may also be numbness that may make the leg to feel weak. On the other hand, a cervical herniated disc may cause pain while moving neck, deep pain near or over the shoulder blade. In some cases, the pain may radiate to upper arm, forearm or fingers. More often than not, the pain gets worse after standing or sitting, at night, while sneezing, coughing, laughing or, while bending backwards or walking for a few yards.   

During an initial consultation, the surgeon may perform a physical examination and take history of your pain.  Besides that, a neurological examination may also be performed to evaluate muscle reflexes, sensation and muscle strength which may reveal a decrease in the spinal curvature. The surgeon may also perform diagnostic tests that may include

·         Spine x-ray

·         Spine MRI or spine CT

·         EMG

·         Nerve conduction velocity

·         Myelogram

The journey to herniated disc repair may include

·         Medications. The patient may be given NSAIDs and narcotic painkillers. Those having back spasms may be given muscle relaxants.

·         Lifestyle changes. The patient may be asked to change their dietary habits and include exercise in their routine.

·         Injections. The injections administered are usually either steroid injections or spinal injections.

·         Surgery. The surgery performed is known as Diskectomy which may remove the cushion protecting the spinal column.

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Spinal Degeneration Surgery

Many people experience daily back pain for various reasons.  Although many people struggle with this daily pain they still do not take proper care of themselves.  It is important to find out what the cause of your back pain is.  There are a lot of different places in the body that Arthritis may occur and, the back and neck is one common place. 

Many individuals over the age of fifty will experience SpineDegeneration in los angeles, which is the same thing as Arthritis.  Having to experience some degree of Spine Degeneration is not always incapacitating but, it can make life more difficult when dealing with pain.  It truly helps to maintain a fit figure because otherwise you may damage your spine. 

When you’re overweight it has negative impact on your spine. This negative impact from being overweight can trigger the Arthritis.  As much as we all may think back pain may come from working out, not working out can have worse issues.  Specially if your daily career involves sitting in front of a PC for long periods of time. 

After a period of time not working out properly or enough, sitting for too long in the wrong position, or driving for long periods of time can be the cause. It’s helpful to understand your back structure so that you’re more aware.  The back is complex and made up of various bones, a structure that consists of 26 vertebrae.  If you take all precautions and still have issues with your back then you may consider Spine Surgery in los angeles. 

If you feel you have back pain or neck pain that gets in the way of your daily life then you should really consider Spine Surgery.  Having to deal with daily neck and back pain may get in the way of your social and economic life, as well as work routine.  Surgery may be required if degenerative changes to the spine are severe and progressive.  Surgery is your best bet if the function of the spinal cord or nerve roots is threatened. 

If there is severe and persistent pain that goes down the arm or leg that’s associated with weakness of limbs you need surgery.  If you are only able to have limited activity or anti-inflammatory medication and spine injection treatments fail then you should consider surgery. Having spine surgery when it’s done by experienced hands and the right tools is safe.  Additionally, with better technology the openings are smaller and the tools used are finer.  Monitoring the nerves during spine surgery is another helpful procedure that reduces risks.  

To know more about Spine Degeneration and Spinal Cord Problems . Click here