We facilitate various spinal surgery treatments in India.The goal of spinal surgery is to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves and to maintain the integrity and strength of your spine. This can be accomplished in several ways, depending on the cause of the problem. The most common spinal surgery procedures include:

Spinal microdiskectomy

Spinal microdiskectomy is surgery to remove disk fragments from a herniated disk, usually in the lower back (lumbar area). Unlike lumbar spine surgery that requires a surgical cut about 2 to 5 inches long, microdiskectomy is less invasive and done using a very small surgical cut about about 1 to 1 ˝ inches long

Microdiskectomy is done in a hospital

or outpatient surgical center while you are under local anesthesia (awake but pain-free) or general anesthesia (asleep & pain-free).

A special high-powered microscope magnifies the affected disk(s) and nerves, and guides the doctor during surgery. The surgeon makes a small cut on your back and moves the back muscles away from the spine. After identifying and moving the nerve root, the surgeon removes the injured disk tissue and fragments. The back muscles are placed back into the normal position, and the wound is closed with stitches or staples.

Spinal microdiskectomy is done to relieve nerve pain and pressure. It may be performed in patients with the following conditions:

• Cauda equina syndrome
• Herniated lumbar disk

Sciatica

Sciatica refers to pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in the leg. It is caused by injury to or compression of the sciatic nerve. Sciatica is a symptom of another medical problem, not a medical condition on its own.

Causes

Sciatica occurs when there is damage to the sciatic nerve, located in the back of the leg. This nerve controls the muscles of the back of the knee and lower leg and provides sensation to the back of the thigh, part of the lower leg and the sole of the foot. Incomplete damage to the sciatic nerve may appear identical to damage to one of the branches of the sciatic nerve (tibial nerve dysfunction or common peroneal nerve dysfunction).

Common causes of sciatica include:

• Degenerative disc disease
• Pelvic injury or fracture
• Piriformis syndrome (a pain disorder involving the narrow piriformis muscle in the buttocks)
• Slipped disk
• Spinal stenosis
• Tumors

Sciatica pain can vary widely. It may feel like a mild tingling, dull ache, or a burning sensation. In some cases, the pain is severe enough to make a person unable to move.

The pain most often occurs on one side. Some people have sharp pain in one part of the leg or hip and numbness in other parts. The sensations may also be felt on the back of the calf or on the sole of the foot. The affected leg may feel weak.

The pain often starts slowly. Sciatica pain may get worse:

• After standing or sitting
• At night
• When sneezing, coughing, or laughing
• When bending backwards or walking more than a few yards, especially if caused by spinal stenosis

Spinal Fusion

Spinal fusion is surgery to correct problems in the spine bones (vertebrae). The surgery stabilizes the back by permanently placing certain bones in the spine together. Fusing means two bones are permanently placed together so that movement between them can no longer occur. Spinal fusion is usually done along with other surgical procedures of the spine, such as a diskectomy.

Description

Spinal fusion surgery uses bone grafts, with or without screws, plates, cages, or other devices. The bone grafts are placed around the problem area of the spine during surgery. As the body heals itself, the graft helps join the bones together. The most common spinal area treated is the lower (lumbar) spine. However, it can also be done on the upper (cervical) spine.

The procedure is performed while you are under general anesthesia (unconscious and pain-free). The surgeon makes a cut over the area of the spine that will be treated. If you are having a problem in the lower spine corrected, the repair is done through a surgical cut made directly over the spine. This is called the posterior lumbar approach.

If you are having a problem in the upper spine corrected, the repair is usually done through a surgical cut in the front or side of the neck (Anterior Cervical spine). If you are having a problem in the middle spine corrected, the repair is sometimes done through a surgical cut in the chest and abdomen (anterior thoracic spine). Depending on the reason for surgery, the procedure may involve a combination of surgical cuts.

Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the lumbar (back) or cervical (neck) spinal canal, which causes compression of the nerve roots. Cervical Spinal stenosis mainly affects middle-aged or elderly people. Cervical spinal stenosis may be caused by osteoarthritis or Paget's disease or by an injury that causes pressure on the nerve roots or the spinal cord itself.

Symptoms

• Back pain that spreads to the legs
• Difficulty or imbalance when walking
• Leg pain
• Neck pain
• Numbness in the buttocks, thighs or calves, that is worse with standing, walking, or exercise
• Pain in the buttocks, thighs, or calves that is worse with walking or exercise
• Weakness of the legs

Generally, conservative management is encouraged. This involves the use of anti-inflammatory medications, other pain relievers, and possibly steroid injections. If the pain is persistent and does not respond to these measures, surgery is considered to relieve the pressure on the nerves.

Cervical spinal stenosis surgery is performed on the neck or lower back, depending on the site of the nerve compression.