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Discectomy

A discectomy is a surgical procedure used to treat a diseased or damaged intervertebral disc. Your spinal column is made up of a long row of bony vertebrae, and soft discs are in between each one. During a discectomy, surgeons will typically remove one or more discs, leaving the space between surrounding vertebrae empty. To promote stability in the area where discs were removed, surgeons will fuse surrounding vertebrae together.

A discectomy may be suggested to a patient who has degenerative disc disease, a bulging disc, or a herniated disc. A disc can bulge or herniate as a natural result of the aging process or due to an injury or trauma to the spine. When the disc bulges or ruptures, it can cause disc material to press against the spinal cord and surrounding nerve roots, thereby causing painful and disabling symptoms. These symptoms vary greatly depending on the location of the damaged disc and the amount of disc material that has become displaced. Some symptoms include pain, numbness, muscle weakness, and tingling in the back or limbs.

Many patients benefit from traditional treatments such as physical therapy, over-the-counter medications, or hot and cold therapy. Patients who experience more severe symptoms may feel relief from prescription pain medication or epidural steroid injections; however, both of these treatment options come with side effects. In cases where patients try conservative therapies for several weeks but still experience painful and debilitating symptoms, a discectomy and spinal fusion may be considered.

Oftentimes, a discectomy is a traditional open back surgery performed in a hospital setting under general anesthesia. The procedure is performed through a large incision in the back, involving significant damage to muscles and tissues surrounding the spine. During the procedure, the surgeon will remove the portion of the disc or the entire disc that is placing pressure on spinal nerves.

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An alternative to discectomy is a minimally invasive decompression procedure performed at Laser Spine Institute (LSI). Our decompression procedures are completed in an outpatient setting using local anesthesia and deep IV sedation. Plus, since LSI’s procedures are performed through an incision roughly the size of a dime, recovery time is quick and tissue damage, recovery time, and infection risk are minimal. Perhaps best of all, more than 85 percent of our patients report partial or total symptom relief within 3 months after their procedure. To learn more about the discectomy alternatives performed at LSI, contact us today. We?will review your CT scan or MRI, absolutely free of charge.

Please note: Laser Spine Institute currently does not perform endoscopic procedures on the thoracic spine.