Common Back Surgeries
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An orthopedic surgeon will perform many different back surgeries in their careers, for many different reasons. In most cases, they will be operating on the disks of a back as a way to relieve pressure, reduce pain and increase function. The types of the surgeries these orthopedic surgeons will perform will be based on the severity of the condition, as well as the patient's lifestyle. Some back surgeries that an orthopedic surgeon will perform will include diskectomies, laminectomies, spinal fusions and disk replacements.
Diskectomy
A diskectomy involves an operation on the disks in the back. In this operation, the patient is usually suffering from a type of injury that involves a ruptured or bulging disk. In a diskectomy, the herniated portion of a disk will be removed to relieve pressure and stop irritation on the surrounding nerves. The benefit of this surgery is that it is relatively small and offers a short recovery period. In some cases, doctors will even go in arthroscopically in order to reduce healing time. Usually, once the herniated portion of the disk is removed, the patient has immediate pain relief.
Laminectomy
A laminectomy is a lot like a diskectomy. Only, in this case, a piece of the vertebrate is removed in order to reduce pressure. Again, this is a relatively minor procedure that offers a faster recovery time. The bone moved comes from the lamina, which is where the laminectomy gets its name.
Spinal Fusion
A spinal fusion is a much more invasive surgery and should only be performed by the best orthopedic surgeons. In these cases, the damage to the spine will be too severe for a diskectomy or laminectomy and the person might be having problems with loss of function and range of motion. In a spinal fusion, several portions of the spine will be fused together with hardware in order to improve function. In this case, the person will suffer some permanent loss of motion, but the function and pain will improve.
Disk Replacement
In a disk replacement, a disk will actually be replaced with hardware in order to relieve pressure. This offers benefits that a spinal fusion doesn't, because the patient will suffer no permanent disability. However, not everyone is a good candidate for a disc replacement and the spine usually can't have a lot of damage if the surgery will be successful.
An orthopedic surgeon might specialize in a specific surgery, or may provide all of the various surgeries. The more specialized the surgery is, the more likely the orthopedic surgeon is to specialize in it. Prior to signing up for any surgery with an orthopedic surgeon, it is important to get all the facts, as well as the surgeon's history of success for that specific surgery.
Author: Mac Addison/articlesbase.com
Diskectomy
A diskectomy involves an operation on the disks in the back. In this operation, the patient is usually suffering from a type of injury that involves a ruptured or bulging disk. In a diskectomy, the herniated portion of a disk will be removed to relieve pressure and stop irritation on the surrounding nerves. The benefit of this surgery is that it is relatively small and offers a short recovery period. In some cases, doctors will even go in arthroscopically in order to reduce healing time. Usually, once the herniated portion of the disk is removed, the patient has immediate pain relief.
Laminectomy
A laminectomy is a lot like a diskectomy. Only, in this case, a piece of the vertebrate is removed in order to reduce pressure. Again, this is a relatively minor procedure that offers a faster recovery time. The bone moved comes from the lamina, which is where the laminectomy gets its name.
Spinal Fusion
A spinal fusion is a much more invasive surgery and should only be performed by the best orthopedic surgeons. In these cases, the damage to the spine will be too severe for a diskectomy or laminectomy and the person might be having problems with loss of function and range of motion. In a spinal fusion, several portions of the spine will be fused together with hardware in order to improve function. In this case, the person will suffer some permanent loss of motion, but the function and pain will improve.
Disk Replacement
In a disk replacement, a disk will actually be replaced with hardware in order to relieve pressure. This offers benefits that a spinal fusion doesn't, because the patient will suffer no permanent disability. However, not everyone is a good candidate for a disc replacement and the spine usually can't have a lot of damage if the surgery will be successful.
An orthopedic surgeon might specialize in a specific surgery, or may provide all of the various surgeries. The more specialized the surgery is, the more likely the orthopedic surgeon is to specialize in it. Prior to signing up for any surgery with an orthopedic surgeon, it is important to get all the facts, as well as the surgeon's history of success for that specific surgery.
Author: Mac Addison/articlesbase.com
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