Everything You Need to Know About Lumbar Microdiscectomy
Lumbar Disc Microsurgery, also called microdiscectomy, is a surgical operation that eliminates a portion of an infringed intervertebral disc to alleviate discomfort, numbness, and paralysis in the lower body. Practitioners recommend it for patients with severe symptoms and those who do not yield to more traditional therapies.
Because the procedure is performed laparoscopically, there is minimal scarring, and patients can expect a shorter recovery period. If you suffer from neck pain, back pain, neck weakness, stiffness, or a spine injury, call the office or use the online booking tool to arrange an appointment online today.
Who Is The Right Candidate For A Lumbar Microdiscectomy?
Lumbar microdiscectomy is most commonly employed to treat discomfort resulting from a herniated lumbar disc. It can also address a secondary problem referred to as lumbar disc rupture.
Symptoms triggered by a disc herniation frequently resolve on their own or with conservative therapy. Patients who have had limb discomfort and tingling for over six weeks might profit from surgery. Surgery is also suggested if the significant pain hampers the patient’s capability to function appropriately.
Patients must be in good enough health to undertake surgery and a healing process. They must also have reasonable expectations for how this treatment will turn out. Whereas surgery is not always required, lumbar microdiscectomy is a very efficient therapeutic alternative to provide immediate pain relief. Following a comprehensive review of your situation, your doctor will establish if this treatment is appropriate for you.
What To Expect With The Lumbar Microdiscectomy?
Your practitioner performs lumbar microdiscectomy by making many tiny incisions in the back near the damaged disc. Small surgical devices and a miniature camera are driven through these cuts. Using this technology, the doctor has better visualization of the damaged region and can be exceedingly accurate.
Once the physician has pinpointed the position of the damaged disc, they move the muscles away from the spine. To alleviate compression, the impacted nerve root is treated, and the afflicted disc is excised.
If appropriate, a tiny part of the facet joint, which connects two vertebrae, could also be excised. Sutures seal the cuts once the muscles return to their natural position.
In a clinical setting, this surgery is conducted under general anesthesia. Following surgery, you typically need several days of hospitalization for close monitoring.
What Is The Recovery Following The Procedure?
Patients are advised to get up and walk about promptly following the microdiscectomy. You may most probably feel pain and other side effects that your doctor can address with medication.
Throughout recovery, patients could profit from a personalized physical therapy and exercise routine to help regain range of motion and reduce recurrent disc herniation and back pain.
In a few weeks, these regimens could graduate from strolling to swimming and bicycling. For a smoother recovery process, ensure you adhere to your doctor’s post-operative guidelines.
You could resume work in 2-4 weeks, though occupations requiring hard labor could take 4-8 weeks.
Most patients report great pain relief and are pleased with the outcome of their treatment. And besides, lumbar microdiscectomy offers the benefit of lesser complications and faster recovery times. To find out more about this contemporary procedure, contact University Pain Medicine Centre over the phone to talk to a team member or set up a consultation online today.