Question About Back Surgery

[ChickenHawk]

My doctor suggested that back surgery MAY be a solution for my back/leg pain if it is indeed a disk pushing on a nerve. Here's what I don't get. He said the procedure consists of simply taking out the bad disk. I don't understand how this works though... From the knowledge I've gathered, the disks serve as "shock absorbers" for your spine. They are the cusioning between each vertabrae. So how the fuck can you just TAKE ONE OUT and everything is perfectly fine? Doesn't that leave me with bone-on-bone? How is that good?

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[TooCute]

I just did a google search for "back surgery disk removal" and "diskectomy" and found some helpful sites that answer this question:

http://fit4martialarts.com/back_surgery.htm <-- this one lists all the various types of diskectomies
http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/topic100586723
http://www.whiplash101.com/anterior1.htm

If you have the entire disk removed, either they leave a space and the vertebrae eventually fuse together, or else a bone graft from elsewhere in your body is inserted to help fuse the vertebrae together. In other diskctomoies, the entire disk is not necessarily removed; just the herniated part that is actually impinging on nerves.



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[HordeKing1]

I'm sorry it's come this far. Here's a few things to consider that we haven't spoken about before.

1. The entire disk isn't removed in a discectomy or laminectomy - only the extruding part.

2. When the entire disk is removed, it's not a discectomy or laminectomy, it's a much more serious fusion, which basically sets the spine in place with hardware and screws. You'll never be able to bend at that vertebrae again.

3. If your doctor is only "suggesting" that surgery "may" be a solution if there is "nerve impingement" at the very least you need a new CT or MRI and a second opinion. Never have surgery unless it's absolutely certain that it will relieve the symptoms you're concerned with.

4. If you have a discectomy, or laminectomy, it will not prevent back pain, but it will stop the radicular pain, unless scar tissue forms in a bad place, but that's usually not a significant risk - it happened to me, but it's unusual.

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