Spinal decompression therapy can help serious leg, neck, and back pain. At RESTORE Orthopedics and Spine Center, expert orthopedic spine surgeon S. Samuel Bederman, MD, has expertise in minimally invasive techniques of spinal decompression. Men and women in Orange, California, who suffer pain that would benefit from decompression therapy can call the office or schedule an appointment online to learn more.
Decompression surgery, known as laminectomy, increases the space in the bony canals through which your spinal cord and nerves pass. It’s used to treat narrowing of the spine (spinal stenosis).
Dr. Bederman works to ease the pain of spinal stenosis using noninvasive treatments like physical therapy and/or anti-inflammatory medications. Other nonsurgical treatments include:
Every effort is made to manage your condition without surgery. When these interventions fail, however, surgery is usually your best course of treatment.
Spinal stenosis can be caused by age-related changes, arthritis, enlarged joints, bone spurs, bulging discs, and thickened ligaments. The pain of stenosis can show up anywhere along the spine, from the neck (cervical) to the lower back (lumbar).
Dr. Bederman makes a small incision in the back muscles. He removes the lamina bone, which forms the backside of the spinal canal, and any thickened connective tissue. This gives your nerves more room. If you have bone spurs, the surgery also removes these.
One vertebra or several could be adjusted during the surgery; it depends on the extent of your stenosis.
In some cases, spinal fusion is required at the same time to stabilize the sections of your spine treated with decompression surgery. Fusion combines bone grafts, screws, and rods to connect vertebrae together into one bone.
Fusing the joints can prevent the return of spinal stenosis and can eliminate pain. Fusion can be done at the cervical (neck), thoracic (upper back), or lumbar (lower back) spine.
If conservative treatments fail and you have the following, decompression could be an option:
For more information about spinal decompression and fusion, call RESTORE Orthopedics and Spine Center or schedule a consultation online today.