With back aches, we often feel that things are not turning out to be as they should.
The ‘sweet dreams’ night turn out to be ‘sleepless’ nights.
The ‘happy and fun’ daddy becomes a ‘sad and boring’ daddy.
The ‘lively and energetic’ mommy becomes ‘tired and lazy’ mommy.
‘Life’ turns to be a ‘stretched life’.
Back pain has the ability to turn every happy moment into a mere memory, which can not be seen in the current scenario.
Here is a post to help you understand the benefits, risks and types of back surgeries.
Benefits of Back Surgery
The basic thought in a patient’s mind while getting a back surgery done is to get quick relief from back ache. Apart from this, the other important reasons are;
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Increased productivity at work
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Ability to go back to work
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Less need for pain medicines
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Improved mood
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Better physical fitness
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Increased activity
This looks like a gloomy picture, but it is a feel good factor for most of the patients who opt for back surgeries.
Risks of back surgery
The biggest risk of a back surgery is in the mind of the patient.
What if there is no or minimal reduction in back pain after surgery?
What if it has an adverse effect on my back?
Are there any side-effects?
These concerns are understood by specialists, and they know that these thoughts are normal and POSSIBLE! Yes, this is because it is difficult for a surgeon to accurately predict who will benefit from the surgery and who will not. Another reason for this is, sometimes, back pain improves with time, and if you have not opted for non-surgical treatments like physical therapy, you might be wasting time and efforts by opting for a back surgery directly.
However, in normal cases, there are a number of risks, which affect the rare of the rarest patients. Yes, rare. Majority of people who undergo this surgery are out of the pain zone without any complications. These risks are:
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Nerve damage
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Recurrent disc herniation
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Stroke
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Heart attack
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Blood clots
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Infection
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Bleeding
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Reaction to anesthesia or other drugs
The level of risk varies according to the type of surgery one undergoes. To understand your personal risk, it is better to talk to your surgeon in advance and be sure that the risk from back surgery is identified properly and accurately.
Types of Back Surgery
1. Spine Fusion
This is one of the most common surgeries performed by a surgeon for back pain. During this surgery, the surgeon joins vertebrae (spinal bones) together. This restricts motion between bones, but it does not limit the activity for most people.
2. Laminectomy
During this surgery, the surgeon removes ligaments, bone spurs or bone in the back. It helps in relieving pressure on spinal nerves, which may be a reason for pain or weakness.
3. Foraminotomy
During this surgery, the surgeon works on cutting the bone at the sides of vertebrae, which widens the space where nerve roots exit the spine. When this space is enlarged, pressure is relieved on the nerves, resulting in reduced pain.
4. Discectomy
During this surgery, the surgeon works on removing either part of the disc or the disc entirely.
5. Disc Replacement
This is about artificial disc replacement where a damaged spinal disc is removed, and the surgeon replaces it with an artificial disc between the vertebrae.
So, it is important to have a back issue resolved via surgical or non-surgical means. However, if the non-surgical means are not helpful, it is better to route for the surgical path at the earliest.
About the Author:
Jasmine Bilimoria is a research writer and a contributor with Same Day Spine. Sameday Spine Institute specializes in minimally invasive treatments of the laser spine surgery, using latest cutting edge technologies, such as stem cells, laser discectomies, artificial discs, spinal cord stimulators, minimally invasive fusions, etc for laser spine surgery.
Originally posted 2013-10-31 01:15:39.