Decompression

Lumbar Laminectomy for Spinal Stenosis

Ben Parr — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:06:25 -0800

Numbness from Spondylolisthesis After Treatment

Ben Parr — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:08:49 -0800

A physician answers patient questions about continual numbness after treatments for spondylolisthesis.

Diagnosis and Indications of Osteoarthritis

Ben Parr — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:49:37 -0800

A physician answers patient questions about the diagnosis and indications of osteoarthritis.

Question: What to do with osteoarthritis diagnosis?

A physiatrist diagnosed me as having lumbar radiculopathy, based on his examination, and recommended an MRI which showed:

Progression of Spinal Stenosis and Surgical Options

Ben Parr — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:40:20 -0800

A physician answers patient questions about different surgery options for progressing spinal stenosis.

Question: What Surgery Should I Undergo for Further Spinal Stenosis Treatment?

My CT and discogram show that once again, I have spinal stenosis. I am a 53 year old female. 10 years ago I had a laminectomy/discectomy that made things worse.

Spinal Fusion for Synovial Cyst and Spinal Stenosis

Ben Parr — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:23:50 -0800

A physician answers patient questions about spinal fusion for pain due to a synovial cyst.

Question: Is Fusion Right for a Synovial Cyst?

Had 2 back surgeries to remove a synovial cyst @ L4 and L5 on right side (in 2000 and 2002). The surgeries were to remove the cyst only. Now, I still have pain in my back, hip, butt and leg. Right leg cramps up and feels dead and numb. I also started having pain on my left side and is starting to go down my left leg.

Spinal Stenosis and Sciatic Pain: Is Surgery the Answer?

Ben Parr — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:48:46 -0800

A physician answers patient questions about decompression and artificial disc replacement for spinal stenosis and sciatic pain.

Synovial Cyst from Osteoarthritis and Facet Joint Degeneration

Ben Parr — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:34:35 -0800

A physician answers patient questions about osteoarthritis and facet joint degeneration as a cause of synovial cysts.

Question: What conditions can cause a synovial cyst?

In August 2001, I was diagnosed with a synovial cyst. Prior to the diagnosis, I was a fitness walker but was unable to continue until this past spring.

No doctor has been able to tell me what caused this cyst and the chance of recurring problems from it. Can you?

Rehabilitation and Degenerative Disc Disease

Ben Parr — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:43:49 -0800

A physician answers patient questions about rehabilitation from degenerative disc disease.

Sciatica and Spinal Stenosis: Is Surgery the Answer?

Ben Parr — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:07:59 -0800

A physician answers patient questions about surgery for sciatica and spinal stenosis.

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Treatment and Surgery

Ben Parr — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:15:38 -0800

Suffering from Spinal Stenosis?

Visit the Spinal Stenosis Clinical Trials section for the latest developments.

Once a doctor has made a conclusive diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis, non-surgical or surgical treatment should be implemented, depending on the severity of the spinal stenosis.

Laminectomy and Spinal Stenosis: Success Rates

Ben Parr — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:02:02 -0700

Laminectomy and Spinal Stenosis: Risks and Complications

Ben Parr — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:01:59 -0700

A lumbar laminectomy is able to alleviate spinal stenosis pain by removing painful pressure on the nerve root and/or disc space. However, the procedure is not foolproof. Complications from this surgery for lumbar stenosis can result from a variety of factors.

Lumbar Laminectomy Risks and Considerations

The potential risks and complications with a lumbar laminectomy include:

Spinal Stenosis Surgery

Ben Parr — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:43:26 -0700

Spinal Decompression Patients' Advice: The Benefits and Spinal Nerve Pressure

Ben Parr — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:17:09 -0700

Back-to-Back: Patients share tips on experiences with spinal decompression

Want to know more about spinal decompression from those who have been affected most? In our Back-to-Back section, patients share tips and advice about using non-surgical spinal decompression to treat their back problems.

Spinal Decompression Patients' Advice: Avoiding Herniated Disc Surgery and Decompression Providers

Ben Parr — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:17:06 -0700

Back-to-Back: Patients share tips on experiences with spinal decompression

Spinal Decompression Patients' Advice: Pricing and Degenerative Disc Disease

Ben Parr — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:17:03 -0700

Back-to-Back: Patients share tips on experiences with spinal decompression

Spinal Decompression Patients' Advice: Inversion Tables and is the Therapy for Everyone?

Ben Parr — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:17:00 -0700

Back-to-Back: Patients share tips on experiences with spinal decompression

Decompression Surgery

spine-health — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 07:52:39 -0800

Definition

Decompression is most commonly used to refer to a surgical procedure to alleviate pain caused by a pinched nerve (neural impingement, compressed nerve) in the spine.

Laminectomy Back Surgery Video

spine-health — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:19:44 -0800

Additional Back Surgery Info:

Lumbar Laminectomy

Posterior Cervical Laminectomy

Anterior Cervical Discectomy Video

spine-health — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:19:42 -0800

An anterior cervical discectomy is an anterior approach to removing a cervical herniated disc in order to relieve spinal cord or root pressure and alleviate corresponding pain, weakness, and numbness. This interactive video provides an overview of anterior cervical discectomy.

Anterior Cervical Decompression and Spine Fusion for Spondylotic Myelopathy

spine-health — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 09:40:19 -0800

Benefits of anterior decompression and spine fusion surgery

In the past, cervical laminectomy (removing the posterior aspects of the spinal canal) to decompress (relieve pressure on) the spinal cord had been the procedure of choice to treat spondylotic myelopathy resulting from cervical arthritis.

Anterior Cervical Decompression and Spine Fusion Procedure

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:21:10 -0800

The decompression and spine fusion surgery is performed with the patient in the supine position under general anesthesia. Usual requirements include adequate padding of bony and soft tissue structures. Sequential compression boots are applied to the patient's lower extremities to avoid development of blood clots during the operation.

Most spine surgeons prefer to use Somatosensory Evoked Potentials (SSEPs) or Motor Evoked Potentials (MEPs) to monitor spinal cord function during the surgery. However, this is not essential.

Postoperative Care for Decompression/Fusion Surgery

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:21:10 -0800

Immediately after the surgery, patients will experience some difficulty swallowing or a sore throat due to manipulation of the esophagus. This usually resolves within several days, but symptoms may persist to a troublesome degree.

The pain associated with the procedure is relatively minimal, as most of the exposure is obtained by dissecting tissue, not dividing it. Pain at the graft site (where bone graft is obtained from the hip) is more of a concern if iliac crest graft is utilized.

Lumbar Spine Surgery