In between each vertebra in your spine is a thin disc filled with a jellylike fluid. These discs serve to protect your vertebrae from impacts and from wearing each other down with friction. A number of conditions can affect these discs, which causes pain and limits your range of motion. When this happens, you’ll need to visit a health care professional for treatment.
Many health care providers will treat damaged discs with conservative treatments. However, these treatments are not always effective. In cases like these, your health care provider may recommend microdiscectomy surgery.
What is a microdiscectomy?
A microdiscectomy is a procedure for removing a portion of a disc in your spine. This helps reduce pressure on the nerves caused by the damaged disc.
A microdiscectomy is a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure. It relies on the use of small instruments and a tiny camera that fit through a tube, which is inserted into the spine through a small incision.
Performing spinal surgery this way reduces the risks associated with open spinal surgery, including infection, blood loss, and nerve damage. It also makes your recovery quicker and, typically, less painful.
When do you need a microdiscectomy?
Microdiscectomy surgery is primarily used to treat a herniated disc.
Herniated discs are discs whose fluid has burst out of the outer shell of the disc. When this happens, the fluid puts pressure on the nerves in the spine, which causes pain and loss of range of motion.
Your health care provider may recommend a microdiscectomy if:
- You’ve tried treating your pain with conservative treatments and they don’t help.
- Your pain is affecting your ability to stand or walk.
- The pain radiates from your spine into other parts of your body.
Visit the iRISE Spine and Joint Institute for microdiscectomy
Do you have pain in your back-related to a herniated disc? Have conservative treatments fails to provide relief for your pain? Minimally invasive microdiscectomy surgery may be just what you need.
Our team at the iRISE Spine and Joint Institute can examine your spine and determine if a microdiscectomy is right for you. Contact our team today to learn more about microdiscectomy or to schedule an initial appointment.
