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Treating the Symptoms of a Collapsed Disc with Surgery

The term “collapsed disc” is a colloquialism that is used for spinal conditions that occur when an intervertebral disc loses height or becomes misshapen. This term may be used to describe a bulging disc, herniated disc, or degenerative disc disease. When these spinal conditions cause an intervertebral disc to lose height, the vertebrae (or the bony structures in the neck and back) can shift out of place and move closer together, which may cause a spinal nerve to become compressed.

Symptoms

The symptoms of a compressed spinal nerve can include pain that is either dull or sharp, muscle weakness, numbness, muscle spasms, and tingling. The location of these symptoms can vary, depending on the position of the affected intervertebral disc and impinged spinal nerve.

Surgical Treatments

A number of surgical treatment options are available for patients who suffer from a collapsed disc. Options for open back surgery may include:

• Laminectomy – the removal of a significant portion (the lamina) of one or more vertebrae, with the goal of relieving painful pressure in the spinal canal and also to gain access to the intervertebral discs
• Open discectomy – the removal of intervertebral disc tissue
• Spinal fusion – typically performed after disc tissue is removed, a spinal fusion is the permanent union of two or more vertebrae, with the goal of stabilizing the spine and restricting spinal movement, thus limiting the pain that comes from movement

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Since these surgeries often present a number of risks and can require lengthy recovery times, they are typically a last resort for patients who fail to respond to conservative therapies such as pain medications, hot and/or cold compresses, and corticosteroid injections.

Safe and Effective Outpatient Options

Patients who are hesitant to commit to conventional collapsed disc surgery may want to consider the minimally invasive outpatient procedures performed by the orthopedic specialists at Laser Spine Institute. Our procedures utilize state-of-the-art endoscopic technology, which allow patients to benefit from smaller incisions, a reduced risk for infection, and a greatly reduced recovery time as compared to open back surgery. Contact Laser Spine Institute for more information on these procedures.

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