What Type of Back Pain Requires Surgery?

Lower back pain is a fact of life for most men and women. Nearly all will experience occasional back pain as the result of injury, use, or simply aging. However, when back pain doesn't resolve, it is time to see a top spine surgeon, to understand what is causing it. Spine surgery will never be considered, until a diagnosis can be made. Even then, surgery will only be required if nonsurgical treatments fail to provide relief.

Types of Back Pain That May Indicate the Need for Surgery

As mentioned, it's not where your back or neck hurts, or even how much it hurts that will determine whether or not surgery may relieve your pain. Dr. K. Rad Payman first has to determine the source of the pain. This generally requires a combination of a thorough examination, and various imaging tests including X-rays, discograms, MRI, or CT scan.

Pain caused by conditions in the spine such as a herniated disc, may be alleviated through nonsurgical treatments such as physical therapy, rest, and/or medication. However, pain that is caused by a fracture of a vertebra, or nerve pain stemming from a condition such as spinal stenosis, may require surgery. Degenerative diseases, which cause the discs in your spine to break down, may require also surgery. Serious spinal deformities, or conditions such as spondylolisthesis may also only be remedied through spine surgery.

What Type of Spine Surgery Do I Need?

Again, the type of surgery you need will depend upon the source of the pain. A severely herniated disc may require a discectomy, which removes part of the disc to relieve pressure from the nerves. It may require the placement of an artificial disc (known as arthroplasty). In the case of spinal stenosis, a laminectomy maybe be recommended to alleviate pain caused by a narrowing of the spinal canal. Spinal instability may necessitate a fusion surgery, which uses a graft to fuse together vertebrae in the spine. Men and women diagnosed with fractures, abnormal curvatures of the spine, or seriously bulging discs may also be candidates for a fusion surgery. Men and women who experience severe neck pain may be candidates for what is known as a cervical laminoplasty, which helps to reshape and reposition bone to relive pressure on the spinal nerves in the neck.

Is Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Safe?

When it comes to spine surgery, advancements in medicine and technology have made it possible for many, many spine surgeries to be performed as minimally invasive surgeries. These types of surgeries are used to achieve the goal of decompression (to alleviate nerve pain), or fusion, (to provide stability).

Minimally invasive surgery has fewer risks than "open" or "traditional" surgical techniques. Instead of a long incision on your back, minimally invasive surgery allows for a smaller incisions to be made. The incisions are small because microsurgical instruments are able to be employed.

The reduction in the size of the incision reduces numerous risks or potential complications. The muscles don't need to be removed and repositioned to the same degree that they do in an open surgery. The smaller incisions also mean there is a reduced risk of bleeding, and reduced risk of infection. After the surgery, the smaller incisions mean you'll recover faster, and with less pain, than in a traditional or open spine surgery.

If you've been suffering from pain in your neck or back and it hasn't responded to non-surgical treatments, it is time to contact Dr. K. Rad Payman, a specialist in minimally invasive spine surgery in Los Angeles, SFV and Ventura County.