Surgery for Herniated Disc

A herniated disc, also called a ruptured, slipped, protruding or bulging disc, occurs when a small portion of the cartilage disc of the vertebrae is pushed into the spinal canal. This causes increased pressure and irritation to the spinal nerves in the area.  A common symptom of this disorder is known as sciatica, an aching pain radiating from the buttocks down to the legs. Other associated pain includes back pain, leg pain and muscle weakness.

Most people suffering from a herniated disc do not require surgery. Depending on the severity of the case, up to 95 percent of all people with a herniated disc recover in a couple of months with non-surgical treatments. Only about five to 10 percent of those with this common back condition actually need to undergo surgery to correct the bulged disc. Your physician may give you the option to undergo surgery when he sees that non-surgical methods such as physical therapy, medications for pain, and some supportive devises are not effective or when progression of healing is taking too long. Surgeons usually do not recommend surgery if pain is the only symptom. It is important to discuss options with your physician so you can then decide what course of action to take.

Varied procedures are available, depending on the need for herniated disc surgery. Prior to surgery your doctor may order a CT scan or a MRI scan of the affected area to better view the extent and location of the herniated disc. Once all the data is back, he may decide to go on with the surgery or decide that surgery may not be need at all. In cases where surgery is need, the surgeon can perform a range of surgical procedures to correct the disorder.

Laminectomy/laminotomy, a procedure to relieve pressure on the spinal nerves, is done by removing a portion of the lamina (laminotomy) to create room for the spine, or removal of the entire lamina (laminectomy) of the affected vertebra. Some doctors do this procedure with discectomy while others prefer to do it separately.

Another option the surgeon might recommend is microdiscectomy. This is a procedure done to remove a small portion of the disc and some portion of the bone that causes direct pressure on the nerves. This may be the best choice for complete relief of symptoms related to a herniation of a disc.

Endoscopic discectomy is another new breakthrough in medicine and surgical technology. This procedure allows the surgical repair of a herniated disc through minimally invasive procedures such as the endoscopic discectomy. The recovery period is for this procedure is significantly shorter and the pain caused by surgery may be greatly reduced. This procedure involves insertion of a small tubular device called an endoscope. The endoscope is used to correct the problems caused by the herniated disc.

Recovery from surgery may vary depending on the procedure performed. However, prognosis is fairly high and only about five to 10 percent of cases develop problems or during the recovery period. Expect to have some pain after the surgery since it is an invasive procedure, but you will have medications for this. Specialists recommend following doctors orders on exercise and activity after any procedure. A physical therapist may give advice as to exercise and activities that can be performed at home during the herniated disc treatment recovery period.