A discectomy can provide you with back pain relief by removing the herniated disc causing your symptoms. Although the purpose of the surgery is to decrease pain, you can expect to experience some degree of pain as you recover from surgery. By...
Discectomy surgery is used in treating conditions of the spine, including herniated, ruptured and bulging disks. This is a relatively common procedure that helps alleviate pain and allow you to resume normal activities. As part of your recovery...
A lower back or lumbar discectomy procedure removes all or part of the cartilaginous disks found between your vertebrae. When these disks shift position -- or herniate -- they can cause numbness and pain in the lower legs, incontinence, and muscle...
Discectomy is the removal of, or portions of, a vertebral disc from the spinal column. Following any type of spine surgery, you'll need to follow careful instructions regarding movement and exercise offered by your doctor or a qualified and...
The nerves that control the neck, arms and upper body are located in the cervical spine. There are seven cervical vertebrae that make up the spine and include eight pairs of spinal nerves. When a disc protrudes and places pressure on a spinal...
Your spine and spinal cord are a complex network of vertebra, nerves and spinal discs. When a disc or vertebra slips out of place, it can press on your spinal nerves, causing pain and numbness in your lower back and legs. To combat this, a surgeon...
An anterior discectomy with fusion is a surgical procedure used to help treat degenerative disc conditions in your spinal column. With the procedure, your surgeon will remove the affected disc and replace it with either a metal spacer and fuse the...
Microdiscectomy is an operation whereby a small part of a herniated disc is removed to relieve the compression effects. The UCLA Comprehensive Spine Information Center explains that a microdiscectomy procedure is less invasive than a traditional...
Degenerative disc disease refers to the way that the vertebrae around the spinal column deteriorate due to age, with the discs losing their ability to flex and absorb motion shock, according to NeckSurgery.com. As a result of this deterioration,...
The intervertebral discs separate the spine's bones, or vertebrae. The discs facilitate spine flexibility and cushion the vertebrae. Over time, the intervertebral discs stiffen and flatten. Degenerative disc disease describes the condition in...
Spinal surgery for lumbar disc herniation can require weeks of recovery and fusion of the spine, which decreases mobility. Laser surgery is performed with a small needle that is placed directly into the damaged disc to decompress it. The...
A bulged or herniated cervical disc occurs when the fibrous outer layer of an intervertebral disc forms tears. Under the mechanical stresses from adjacent vertebrae, the softer interior of the disc pushes through the defect and forms an outward...
A number of cervical spine conditions may warrant surgery, including spinal stenosis, herniated discs or a spinal fracture. In general, surgery is only indicated as a last resort, if conservative treatments have failed to relieve a person's...
The pathology underlying the condition known as degenerative cervical disc disease is not well understood. However, as the disc decays, it weakens, and then it begins to herniate into the space occupied by the spinal roots and spinal cord. This...
Degenerative disc disease can arise at any vertebral level. It occurs when the intervertebral disc decays and loses its mechanical strength. Eventually, the interior portion of the disc protrudes or herniates through the outer portion of the disc,...
We all have a backache once in awhile, but a herniated disc is a constant backache. A herniated disc is also known as a slipped disc or ruptured disc. The disc is the cushion between the vertebrae, the bones of the spine. When the wall of the...
As people age, the discs that cushion the vertebrae in the spine begin to wear out. When the discs crack and the soft material inside leaks out--a condition called herniation, protrusion or slipping--pain from nerve compression can result. Over 90...
Cervical disc protrusion, or disc herniation, occurs when the fibrous outer layer of the cervical disc develops defects pathologically and for unknown reasons. Within the disc is contained a more gelatinous material required to absorb the...
Degenerative disk disease can produce pain and other functional deficits. The disease produces small defects in the outer wall of the intervertebral disk. When the disk is pressurized by the force of the vertebrae, these defects allow softer...
A neck fusion is also known as a cervical discectomy and fusion. During the procedure, the surgeon removes the cartilaginous intervertebral discs between two or more vertebrae and fuses the bones together. The procedure reduces mobility in the...
The spine functions to provide structure and support to the body while allowing for flexibility. The University of Maryland Medical Center describes the spine as consisting of 24 vertebrae stacked upon each other; the top seven are known as the...
It is not known why degenerative disc disease in the cervical spine occurs in some people but not in others. The result, however, is that the intervertebral disc weakens and begins to bulge, or herniate. When it bulges enough to push onto the...
According to the to the Chicago Institute for Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch, the most frequently fused cervical segments are C5 and C6, and discectomy is the most common reason for this surgery. Generally, the cervical vertebrae are approached...
Both a laminectomy and a discectomy are surgical procedures performed to alleviate pressure on spinal nerve roots. Pressure might exist as the result of a herniated disc or spinal stenosis creating a smaller channel for the nerve to pass through....
Lower back pain and is a potential complication following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion surgery. While recovering, avoid aggravating your pain by bending your head backward or forward, sitting for prolonged periods of time, performing...
Rehabilitation after any surgery is tricky. This is especially true after a fusion procedure that replaces a degenerative disk with a bone graft. The graft forces the affected vertebrae to fuse together. The nature of this surgery requires a well...
Surgery on the cervical spine is a delicate procedure. Usually such surgery is needed to relieve pain associated with a prolapsed or herniated disc. Disc disease causes it to fail and this makes the disc protrude and push on spinal nerves. The...
The cervical spine is the most flexible part of the spinal column and is located between the thoracic spine and the skull. In between each vertebral bone lies an intervertebral disc which serves to cushion the forces of the vertebrae. Almost...
With degenerative disc disease, a cervical disc loses its mechanical strength as a response to pathology. The disc then begins to herniate or protrude out of its intervertebral space. If the disc material protrudes far enough, it can press against...
