Walk Off Weight | Herniated Disc Surgery For Back Pain

Herniated Disc Surgery For Back Pain

Posted on August 21, 2010
Filed Under Surgical Procedures | Leave a Comment

The following article is a guest post about herniated disc surgery for back pain written by a friend that writes for a blog which discusses spinal problems.  I thought it was interesting and reprinted it here for you to read.  I have had spinal surgery in my neck, and had two discs fused.  It was an emergency surgery, the bulging material was displacing the spinal canal, at risk of severing or injuring it, which could cause paralysis.  I’m lucky, an ear nose and throat doctor that was doing pre-op testing for a routine sinoplasty and deviated septum surgery saw the herniated disc in my neck in the tests that he ordered.  I have a rare condition that causes me to not feel and process pain signals well, so I wasn’t aware of the neck problem.  Needless to say, I went in for the spinal fusion right away, within days of the diagnosis.  I healed well, but had allergies to medicines taken after the surgery.  It was a difficult recovery, but I’m now symptom free.

Another thought comes to mind about a friend that was facing herniated disc surgery for back pain.  She had very bad back pain, and needed surgery.  She was morbidly overweight, at least 200 pounds overweight, and her surgeon was not able to perform the back surgery due to her weight.  She chose the lap band surgery, and other than a huge problem with excess skin after the surgery, she had a good outcome.  It reduced her pain level considerably, and she actually chose to continue her rigorous exercise program rather than have herniated disc surgery for back pain. 

What Is A Herniated Disc?

A herniated disc occurs when a sliver of a dislodged spinal disc is pressing against the nerves that connect to the spinal cord, or against the spinal cord.

A surgical procedure called Herniated disc surgery or open discectomy takes about an hour which is fairly short, but depending on how badly the disc is herniated and also on the size of the patient, this may take longer. This procedure is tradional surgery and sometimes called Open discectomy, as after first making a small incision the surgeon then assesses how much of the disc is herniated.

The surgery for herniated disc treatment is a quick and easy procedure normally taking an hour. The surgeon makes a three centimetre incision in the middle of the back, the patient is under anaesthesia, and after securing the muscles and nerves away from the spine to protect these, the surgeon then performs a laminotomy. This is to remove a tiny amount of bone and ligament from the back of the spine, so that the herniated disc area can be assessed.The fragmented disc is removed, the area freed of slivers of disc which could later cause problems and then the incision is closed and bandages are applied. An overnight stay in hospital is normally the case.

The risks involved in this type of surgery are spinal fluid leak, bleeding and infections. These are all treatable, but will need extra time in hospital or extra surgery. Recovery from the pain of the herniated disc can sometimes be immediate, but normally it dissapates over several weeks. Pain from the surgery can be treated with medication and sitting up and walking are advised as these are gentle exercises. All strenuous excercise are to be avoided until completely healed and the doctor advises otherwise.

Herniated disc surgery should not be undertaken lightly, the full implications of everything involved must be discussed with your doctor beforehand. 85 to 90% of patients have had successful operations with the worst of their pains healed. A mere 10% have reoccuring symptoms. For another herniated disc reocurring the rate is 10-15%.

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