Back pains are no joke. They can really alter your life activities and even mundane things can turn into tedious tasks with excruciating pains in the back. Therefore, you must visit orthopedic surgeons for back pain. Here is everything you need to know about spinal decompression surgery.

Spinal Decompression Surgery

A spinal decompression surgery is a type of surgical procedure in which the nerves are treated in the spine. Your spinal cord is a complex union of bones, nerves, and muscles, so any type of pain in that area needs to be taken seriously, otherwise, the consequences might be severe.

Since your spinal cord is connected to your nervous system, an increase in any sort of pain in the nerves can affect your brain as well and it can lead to brain damage if the injury or pain is left untreated or the severity of the injury is too much.

This is why, pains in the back should never go unnoticed and you should always consult with a doctor, whether you need to go forward with this surgery or not.

What Are The Symptoms?

Back pain is a pretty general symptom. Here are some more specific and alarming symptoms, which might indicate that you may need spinal decompression surgery for your spine.

• Lower back pain is one of the major symptoms. You will feel immense pain in the back where your pelvis is and it might radiate to your neck and even the arms.
• The pain will have an electrifying nature. It’s unlike any pain you’ve ever experienced. Nervous pains are like a painful jolt of electricity going through your back and radiating in neighboring areas.
• In some cases, if the nerves are compressed a lot, you will also experience numbness and the feeling of something pricking your back area. It will feel hot and cold and the prickling sensation is very unpleasant to deal with.
• You might feel like your back is getting too stiff and you are not able to move or bend on your back. Doing normal things might be a huge problem for you and it will be followed with that painful electrifying pain in the spine and other areas.

How Is The Surgery Done?

Here is a run-down on how this surgery is performed.

• First, you will need to do a couple of blood tests, for the necessary protocol.
• After that, an Anesthetist will put you under Anesthesia.
• You will lie down on your face and the incision will be made from mid-back to the affected area. The incision can be big or small, depending on the severity of the injury and how it needs to be treated.
• Once the vertebrae are exposed, either some discs are removed, some are connected, and or a section of the bone can be removed, in order to relieve the pressure from the nerves, which is compressing the nerves.
• Once that is done, the incision is stitched and you will be on the road to recovery

Post-Surgery Care

Once the surgery is done, you might need to take care of a number of things:

• The recovery is pretty quick. You can go home within 1 to 5 days of the surgery, depending on the time span of healing.
• You will need to refrain from lifting heavy objects and sitting for too long because you don’t want to affect your spine or make it stiff.
• Physical therapy is a must if you want your back to get in the right form and be flexible again.
• You will need a cane to walk for the first day after the surgery, but some people can manage without one as well. It solely depends on the patient.
• Your incision needs special care. Since the wound is fresh and might still be healing, you want to make sure that it doesn’t get infected or wet. This can lead to bigger problems. So, look out for sudden swelling and wetness around the wound.

Conclusion

There you have it! This surgery is great for people who find no relief in non-surgical methods and want something effective to alleviate their pain. Discuss it with your spine and back doctor Woodbridge and decide if you need the spinal decompression surgery.