You are likely to experience back pain once in a while in your lifetime. Therefore, you may know how back pain can be frustrating and limiting, especially if all standard treatments like physical therapy and medications do not offer relief. Good news! Munster spine, neck and back pain treatments are available at North Point Orthopaedics. You can find relief from back pain through minimally invasive surgical options that eliminate pain and hasten your recovery instead of open surgeries. The following discussion gives an understanding of what minimally invasive treatments involve.

Discectomy

Your surgeon may recommend this surgery to remove the damaged part of your spinal disk that is pushing through and irritating the nearby nerves. The procedure aims to relieve the pressure of the herniated disk on your spinal nerves, especially if you have trouble walking and standing and have too much pain. Discectomy may also be beneficial if your symptoms fail to improve with over 12 weeks of injections and physical therapy. During surgery, your surgeon will inject you with local anesthesia and remove the disk compressing your nerves. You can follow after-care instructions as you expect a recovery in two months.

Laminectomy

You may need a laminectomy if you have bony overgrowths within your spine, causing pressure that leads to back pain. Surgery will involve creating space by removing the bony overgrowths, thus relieving pressure on your spinal cord and nerves. During treatment, your surgeon will inject you with general anesthesia and then make an incision in your back over the affected bone region. Your surgeon will then use surgical instruments to remove the overgrowths and a small part of your lamina. Laminectomy may also be part of the treatment for a herniated disk.

Artificial Disk Replacement

You will likely need this procedure to treat your low back pain, especially if your back pain originates from a disk in your lower spine. Also, artificial disk replacement can be effective if you have no significant spinal nerve compression, do not have a spinal deformity, and have not had spinal surgery. First, you will receive general anesthesia, and then your surgeon will cut to remove the damaged disk and replace it with a new artificial disk. You will likely recover faster from a disk replacement as you will not require bone to heal.

Spinal Fusion

Your surgeon may recommend spinal fusion to fuse bones in your spine, thus preventing movement between them that may be causing back pain. Spinal fusion aims to reshape your spine, correct spinal weakness, and stabilize the spine after removing a damaged disk. During surgery, your surgeon will make incisions in your back and then use a bone graft to bring the two bones together. Your surgeon may then use screws, metal plates, and rods to hold the bones, so they heal together with the graft.

Back pain results from different causes, including injuries, diseases like arthritis, and wear and tear that comes with aging. You may have your disks pressing on the spinal nerves, causing irritations leading to back pain. Pinched nerves can also cause back pain and narrowing of your spinal canal. Therefore, you may need at least one surgery to correct the damage and restore balance while relieving pain symptoms. Surgery may especially prove efficient if all conservative treatments like medications, physical therapy, and steroid injections do not improve low back symptoms.