There are several different types of back surgeries that your doctor may recommend. Spinal surgery involves the repair and replacement of damaged vertebrae and discs in your spine. The procedure can relieve pressure on your spinal cord, relieve pain, and prevent additional damage to your spine. If you suffer from severe back pain, sciatica, or other degenerative conditions that impact your ability to function normally, spinal surgery may be right for you. However, there are some risks involved with any type of invasive surgery. Before booking a consultation with a spine doctor in San Ramon who specializes in spine surgery, it’s helpful to understand the pros and cons of this type of procedure.
For those who have exhausted all other treatment options or have noticed an increase in pain after lifting heavy objects or activities such as golfing or playing with your kids—these discussions should help you decide if spinal surgery is right for you.
What Are the Different Types of Spinal Surgery?
Spinal surgery falls into two different categories:
- Open Spinal Surgery – This type of spinal surgery is performed with a large incision in your back, which leaves a scar.
- Endoscopic Spinal Surgery – This type of procedure, also known as minimally invasive surgery (MIS), uses a tiny, flexible camera to remove the damaged portion of your spine.
- The type of surgery you receive depends on the extent of your damage and the health of your spine.
Deciding Factors for Spinal Surgery
If you’re experiencing severe back pain, you might want to consider scheduling a consultation with a spine surgeon. But before doing so, you should consider a few things.
- Age – Younger patients generally heal better and more quickly than older patients following spinal surgery.
- Health – Patients in otherwise good health healing from a back surgery have a higher success rate than those with pre-existing health problems.
- Activity level – Patients who are active and expect to remain so after a back surgery tend to fare better than those who will change their lifestyle.
- Type of pain – Chronic pain that’s caused by a degenerative condition usually responds well to spine surgery.
Pros of Spinal Surgery
- Decreases pressure on the spinal cord – If you’ve developed degenerative disc disease or spinal stenosis, the extra pressure on your spinal cord can cause pain, tingling, numbness, and weakness in your legs.
- Reduces pain – One of the most common reasons for performing spinal surgery is to relieve pain.
- Prevents additional damage to your spine – Degenerative conditions almost always get worse over time. In the early stages, many can be treated with non-invasive methods, such as medications or physical therapy. However, if you neglect treatment, you can cause significant damage to your spine.
- Improves quality of life – Chronic pain and sciatica may have a significant impact on your life. In some cases, spinal surgery is the only way to significantly improve the quality of life.
- Lessens your risk of a herniated disc – A herniated disc can occur in people of any age. While non-surgical treatments are helpful for this condition, a herniated disc may require surgery.
Cons of Spinal Surgery
- Risk of infection – Any time you undergo surgery, there is a risk of infection.
- Risk of blood clots – Another potential complication of certain types of surgery is the formation of blood clots.
- Risk of injury to nerves – Any time you operate on a sensitive area such as the spine, there is some risk of injury to nerves.
- Risk of long-term problems – Unfortunately, not all spinal surgeries are successful. In some cases, the surgery does not relieve pain or cause more damage to the spine.
- Risk of disability – Some of the more serious complications following spinal surgery include permanent paralysis.
- Risk of re-operation – If your surgeon is not experienced with the type of surgery you receive, there is a higher risk of re-operation.
Bottom line
If you’ve tried everything from medication to physical therapy to ease your pain and nothing has worked, spinal surgery may be worth considering. However, the decision to undergo surgery is a big one, and it’s important to keep in mind that there are risks involved with any type of surgery.
As with any major procedure, there is always the chance of something going wrong. It’s important to discuss the risks with your surgeon to determine if surgery is the best option for you.