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Spinal Stenosis Surgery
December 7, 2008 |
Many people after the age of 60 develop spinal stenosis. The condition causes a
narrowing of the spine which compresses nerves and causes painful symptoms.
Dr. Wesley Faunce is a neurosurgeon. He says, “A lot of times they don’t have back
pain with it, they have pain predominately in their legs.”
There are two common
treatments for spinal stenosis. One method is done non-surgically by medication
injections. Dr. Faunce says, “Probably the best one is something called epidural
steroid injections. You’ve heard of cortisone shots for a knee; it’s a similar idea
but for your low back. What it does is it takes the inflammation away from the joints
and the nerves.” This is a good temporary pain reliever but the medication will
eventually wear off.
If you’re looking for something more permanent, Dr. Faunce says surgery is your
best option. “A surgical decompression - basically you make the canal for the nerves
bigger. We do a whole operation though a little tube, like this guy, and we take
the tube and dock it on the back part of the bone we take away a small portion of
the bone overlying one of the compressed nerve routes and we remove any build up
ligament over the years.”
With
the minimally invasive technique many patients are able to recover more quickly
and some even go home the same day of surgery. “They’re happy. I look forward to
doing these
because it has a very high success rate and people come back happy,”
says Dr. Faunce.
Minimally invasive surgery works best for patients who have level one
or two spinal
stenosis. If a person has become weak become of the condition that usually means
surgery will
be the most effective option for treatment. |
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