Surgery to Alleviate Back Pain

Sometimes back conditions involve spinal injury and due to the severity, need surgery to correct the issue. Back surgery is moving forward at an astounding rate with new surgeries being carried out quite frequently and with amazing results. Without surgery a persons injuries can become progressively worse and make life difficult for the sufferer.

The most common forms of surgery to correct back conditions are below.

Spinal Fusion

Spinal fusion (officially known as spondylosyndesis) is a surgery that combines two or more vertebrae, fusing them together. This procedure is mostly used to stop pain caused by the motion vertebrae follow during a person's movement.

Spinal fusion is used to treat degenerative disc disease, discogenic pain, spinal tumor, vertebral fracture, scoliosis and spondylosis.

Spinal Cord Stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation is a medical device implanted near the dorsal surface area of the spinal cord. Stimulation is used to treat pains that are neurological in nature. The stimulator works by causing a tingling sensation in the spinal cord, which distorts and reduces the feeling of pain.

Artificial Disc Replacement

If someone suffers with chronic back pain due to degenerated discs in the spine then discs can be replaced with artificial alternatives. Artificial discs are believed to reduce the risk of adjacent discs breaking down prematurely due to the extra strain put on them because of the degenerated disc.

Discectomy

Discectomy is used to treat slipped or bulging discs. Because bulging discs have grown in size due to herniation or other conditions, they can damage nerve tissue around them. To treat the bulging before damage occurs, Discectomy is carried out by removing bone and disc material; this reduces the pressure built up on the nerve tissue.

Vertebroplasty

If someone fractures vertebrae in the spine then surgeons can use a filler to "fill in" the gaps, this procedure is commonly used in those who suffer with osteoporosis and is called vertebroplasty.

Vertebroplasty is done by a percutaneous medical procedure, a procedure carried out by needles through the skin, not through open surgery.

Kyphoplasty

A new version of Vertebroplasty, Kyphoplasty actually realigns the kyphosis of fractured vertebra before injecting the bone filler.

Kyphoplasty uses a balloon to make a void where the damaged part of vetebra is so the bone filler can be injected correctly and to its optimum ability.

Take Note

If you do suffer with back pain there may be an underlying problem that needs medical attention. It may be that you have damage to your bone or muscular structure you are unaware of, if you visit a doctor you may find a simple solution or you may need to have a surgical procedure to correct the issue and alleviate your pain.

Surgical procedures do sound scary, and people can feel anxiety at the prospect of having surgery, but with medical training being at its best, you do not need to worry. If you are feeling very uncomfortable about an impending surgery, talk to your consultant who will be able to explain the full procedure to you.

About the Author:
Mike Serovey is the owner and webmaster for http://www.mikeserovey.net where you can submit your articles for free.