Pinched
nerve is a very serious condition. Your spinal cord sometimes gets compressed
because of the pressure from the vertebral bones or the discs. When the spinal
cord gets compressed, a lot of information can’t be appropriately transferred
which causes a lot of problems and eventually damaged the spinal cord.
Decompression is a type of surgery which aims to relieve some of the pressure
and reduce the pain caused due to it. In this surgery, a small part of the bone
which had grown over the nerve root known as the lamina or the disc, which is
present under the nerve root, is cut off so that there is
more space for the nerve.
There are
three main types of spinal decompression surgeries- laminotomy or foraminotomy,
laminectomy and discectomy. All of these procedures are done by minimal
invasive methods.
Laminotomy and laminectomy
In both
these procedures parts of the lower part of the spine known as the lamina are
removed by minimal invasive methods. In laminotomy there is a partial removal
of the lamina to provide a larger opening. But in laminectomy the entire lamina
is removed. These two surgeries are done most commonly to treat the symptoms of
spinal stenosis which include pain, weakness and numbness which spreads to the
arms and legs. Herniated discs and sciatica can also be treated by these
surgeries.
Discectomy
In this
procedure, a herniated disc is removed entirely to relieve symptoms like back
pain, leg pain, muscle weakness and numbness. Sometimes an intervertebral disc
gets ruptured in the spine and puts a lot of pressure on the nerve roots. This
results in pain and various other symptoms. These are resolved by performing
discectomy on the patient. It is also done by minimal invasive techniques. But
doctors recommend it only when all other non-surgical means of treatments have
been tried and failed.
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