Prolapsed disc surgery is typically seen as a last resort for patients who have not sufficiently responded to conservative, non-surgical treatments. Normally offered as an elective procedure, disc surgery is used to manage back pain, neck pain, and other neurological symptoms that have been caused by an intervertebral disc that has become herniated or ruptured. However, open back surgeries have a number of inherent risks that need to be considered.
Before a patient elects to undergo any disc surgery, he or she needs to make sure that they have realistic expectations and have been sufficiently educated on the specific risks of their procedure. All too often, patients consent to prolapsed disc surgeries that they aren’t prepared for, just because surgery seems like the only option.
This is particularly troublesome because open back prolapsed disc surgery has a number of very real downsides, including:
- Lengthy recovery and rehabilitation
- Potential for failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS)
- Risk of hemorrhaging, infection, and scar tissue buildup
- Chance of pain transference along adjacent areas of the spine
- And more
At Laser Spine Institute (LSI), we believe the decision to undergo prolapsed disc surgery shouldn’t be made lightly. We educate our patients on all of their options, and then offer an alternative to traditional open back surgery in the form of minimally invasive endoscopic spine surgery. Our outpatient procedures are conducted with the assistance of state-of-the-art lasers, helping to alleviate pain without many of the risks typically associated with spine surgery.
To learn more about endoscopic disc surgery and other prolapsed disc treatments, contact the expert medical team at LSI today. We welcome your questions and can provide you with a free MRI or CT scan review.
