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Common Spine Conditions
Being told that you have a spinal disorder is often a worrying and stressful experience. However, one of the best ways to reduce your fears and concerns is to gain a better understanding of your condition.
A diskectomy (also called open diskectomy) is the surgical removal of herniated disc material pressing on a nerve root or the spinal cord.
A microdiskectomy is a minimally invasive version of a diskectomy, which is done with the use of a microscope and small incisions.
The procedure involves removing the central portion of an intervertebral disc, the nucleus pulposus, which causes pain by stressing the spinal cord or radiating nerves.
A foraminotomy is a decompression surgery that is performed to enlarge the passageway where a spinal nerve root exits the spinal canal.
Each vertebra in the back contains two laminae, which are bony segments that serve as the base of the vertebra.
Heavy lifting, trauma and degeneration can causes these segments to slip out of position, or herniate, and pinch sensitive nerves. This can lead to pain, weakness, and numbness in the back and legs.
During hemilaminectomy, small portions of the lamina are removed to relieve pain and create more space in the spinal column to take pressure off the nerve tissue.
Kyphoplasty is used to treat compression fractures in the spine, which can be caused by:
Trauma
Osteoporosis
Bone weakening
Bone disease
To relieve the severe back pain caused by compression fractures, a minimally invasive kyphoplasty is done by inflating a small balloon into the affected bone. The balloon is then filled with cement to create space and relieve the compression.
Each vertebra in the back contains two laminae, which are bony segments that serve as the base of the vertebra.
Heavy lifting, trauma and degeneration can causes these segments to slip out of position, or herniate, and pinch sensitive nerves. This can lead to pain, weakness, and numbness in the back and legs.
A laminectomy is a procedure to remove the laminae, which allows the spinal cord and nerves to decompress.
Spinal decompression surgery is a general term that refers to procedures done to relieve pain that is caused by pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots.
Spinal fusion is a surgery in which bone is used to make a bridge between two vertebrae. This bone graft supports new bone growth.
Bone can either be taken from the pelvic bone, or from a bone bank.
Spinal fusion is a major surgery that often lasts several hours.
Procedure
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion
Intervertebral discs are a gelatinous material that sits between the bones of the spinal column.
They can slip out of place (herniate) as a result of degeneration, heavy lifting or trauma. When discs herniate, it can cause:
Pain
Weakness
Numbness in the arms and legs
Spinal cord damage that leads to problems with walking or using the restroom
To repair a herniated disc, the bony protrusions on either side of the vertebrae (laminae) are removed to allow the spinal cord and nerves to decompress.
To stabilize the spine, titanium rods, screws and cages may be used.
Posterior cervical fusion
During a posterior cervical fusion, the posterior of the bony protrusions on either side of the vertebrae (laminae) are removed to allow the spinal cord and nerves to decompress.
Titanium rods, screws or cages are then used to stabilize and fuse the spine.
Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal.
Symptoms
The narrowing compresses the spinal cord and nerves, causing:
Pain
Cramping
Weakness
Numbness
The symptoms often start slowly, then worsen over time.
Depending on where along the spinal canal the stenosis occurs, symptoms can be felt in the legs, neck, shoulder or arms.
Causes
The most frequent cause of spinal stenosis is osteoarthritis, which often occurs because of wear and tear due to aging.
Spinal stenosis can also be caused by a thickening of the back ligaments or a bulging of the discs that separate the vertebrae.
Treatments
Spinal stenosis has no cure, however, treatments can provide relief. These can include:
Exercise
Medications
Cortisone injections
Decompression laminectomy
A tumor of the spinal cord is an abnormal tissue growth inside the spinal column.
Spinal tumors can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Even benign tumors can cause problems by placing pressure on sensitive tissues and reduce function.
Causes
There are two types of spine tumors:
Primary tumors
Primary tumors are those that originate in the spinal cord. Most primary tumors are caused by:
Uncontrolled cell growth
Exposure to radiation
Exposure to cancer-causing chemicals
Secondary tumors
Secondary tumors, or metastatic tumors, are caused by cancer cells that orginated somewhere else in the body.
Symptoms
Spinal cord tumor symptoms include:
Pain
Numbness
Paralysis
Treatments
The treatments for most spinal tumors are:
Monitoring. If the tumor is small and not causing any symptoms, monitoring it with periodic CT scans or MRI may be recommended.
Surgery. Surgical removal of the tumor is often necessary. Not all tumors can be completely removed, and surgery may be followed by radiation, chemotherapy or both.