Back pain is undoubtedly one of the most common reasons people, especially older adults, seek medical attention yearly. Aside from being uncomfortable and bothersome, persistent back pain can affect your ability to do your daily activities effectively, for example, driving or operating machinery.
Fortunately, conservative treatments like physical therapy and painkillers can help with this pain for most patients. While pain specialists will first attempt to manage your back pain using these non-surgical remedies, there are cases when spine surgery will be necessary to bring pain relief for a comfortable and happy life.
Since your spine is your body’s central support structure and source of strength, you should find a skilled and seasoned orthopedic surgeon for this life-changing treatment. Reliable spine surgeons at LAMIS can perform minimally invasive spine surgery at a pocket-friendly cost to keep your bothersome spinal pain or issue at bay.
If you have a spinal disorder that requires orthopaedic spine surgery in Los Angeles, you can count on us to offer you the best services you need to enjoy your daily fun activities.
Common Spinal Disorders That Are Treatable Through Spine Surgery
There are several spinal disorders and spinal injuries that an orthopedic surgeon can successfully treat. The best way to know whether your unique spinal condition requires spine surgery is by speaking with an orthopedic surgeon for a precise diagnosis. Generally speaking, you could be an excellent candidate for spine surgery if you have any of the following spinal disorders:
Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis is a common spinal disorder that mainly occurs in adults due to degenerative conditions that narrow the spinal canal (the hollow space in your spine) with time. As a result, this narrowing puts pressure or pinches your nerves in and around your spinal canal, causing bothersome pain, weakness, and numbness in the affected region or legs.
While the most common cause of this condition is age, it can also occur in young adults and teenagers due to other health conditions like arthritis and bulging discs. Fortunately, through spine surgery, your surgeon can remove the tissues pressing on your nerves to ease the pain and uncomfortable symptoms caused by this condition.
Back and Disc Pain
If you are experiencing back or disc pain, you know how bothersome and disruptive this condition can be. The symptoms associated with back pain can make it challenging to perform or do the daily activities you enjoy, including exercises.
Although this condition is sometimes manageable through physical therapy, most specialists often recommend having spine surgery to give you the lasting relief you want for a comfortable life.
Degenerative Disc Disease
Spinal discs are the rubber-like pads or discs between each of the 24 vertebrae in your spine that act as shock absorbers and allow you to twist or bend flexibly. During your daily activities, these discs experience significant strain, which is undoubtedly one of the reasons why you have them.
Unfortunately, the repeated and long-term strain on these discs can make them begin to break down and cause pain, ultimately leading to a condition known as degenerative disc disease (DDD).
Although your surgeons will consider non-surgical treatments first, any of the following types of spine surgery could help keep the uncomfortable symptoms of this condition at bay:
- Disc replacement surgery
- Spinal fusion
- Disc removal
- Spine decompression
Herniated Disc
Also known as a ruptured or slipped disc, a herniated disc occurs when one of your spinal discs or pads between your vertebrae bulges out of place into the spinal canal. While it mostly occurs in your lower back, a herniated disc can occur anywhere along your spine, causing bothersome long-lasting pain.
If you have a herniated disc, spine surgery could be an excellent remedy for the uncomfortable symptoms of this condition, especially if the affected disc is pressing on the nerves in your spinal canal.
It is worth noting that the above-explained spinal disorders are not the only conditions a spine surgery could be necessary. Other spinal conditions that could make an orthopedic surgeon recommend spine surgery include (but are not limited to):
- Spinal tumors
- Spinal trauma
- Spinal deformity (scoliosis/kyphosis)
- Myelopathy
- Radiculopathy
- Any spinal cord injury
What to Expect at Our Clinic if You Need Orthopaedic Spine Surgery in Los Angeles
If you need orthopaedic spine surgery in Los Angeles, we can provide effective care tailored to your needs. We will work hand in hand with you to determine the best surgical procedure that is suitable and most effective for your unique condition. In a nutshell, at our clinic, you will find:
Cutting-Edge Technology
Our orthopedic surgeons use modern technology and techniques to offer patients the best services for their spine disorders or conditions. For instance, we can offer the following:
- Robotic spine surgery — Our surgeons perform this surgery using GPS-like tracking systems to help them in the precise placement of screws and other hardware in a patient’s back when repairing a deformed spine
- Operative arthroscopy — This cutting-edge technology changes how surgeons perform spine surgical procedures by providing a clearer view of the targeted surgical area to help fix your delicate spinal issue with greater accuracy and precision
Minimally Invasive Techniques
We use minimally invasive techniques and robotics to help preserve your healthy tissues during spine surgery. Aside from limiting unnecessary muscle and tissue damage, using minimally invasive technology during spine surgery results in the following:
- More precise and accurate surgery
- Faster recovery time
- Improved long-term health
Advanced Diagnostics
Before starting and preparing your treatment plan for your unique spine condition, we will conduct a full detailed diagnosis. The more detailed and precise your diagnosis is, the better our surgeons can customize your treatment plan. Some of the advanced diagnostic tests we will use include:
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans
- X-ray
- CT (computerized tomography) scans
These advanced diagnostic tests help our surgeons see detailed and clear images of your spine and the affected nerves for precise spine surgery.
Neurosurgeons and Orthopedic Surgeons Working Collaboratively
At our clinic, orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons work as one team to ensure our patients receive the most effective and comprehensive treatment possible for their spinal disorders.
Collaborative Care
Often after spine surgery, conservative treatment could be necessary to increase your healing and recovery speed. Therefore, we work jointly with other physicians and healthcare providers to help our patients find the best treatment or therapy option after spine surgery to accelerate their recovery speed.
For instance, acupuncture and massage therapy could work in your favor to keep the bothersome back pain or any other symptom associated with a spine disorder at bay.
Customized Rehabilitation Plans
After your spine surgery, our orthopedic surgeons will give you a tailor-made rehabilitation plan before you leave the clinic. After surgery, rehabilitation is necessary to help you regain strength and a full range of motion. We can also recommend physical therapists specializing in spine therapy and rehabilitation to help you with all your physical therapy needs for fast recovery.
If you are looking for a reliable surgeon for orthopaedic spine surgery in Los Angeles, the above tips should help you understand what to expect during your treatment.
Types of Spine Surgeries That Could Work For Your Unique Spine Disorder
Our orthopedic surgeons can provide several types of spine surgery to treat and manage the symptoms caused by your spinal disorder or condition. Regardless of the cause of your spinal pain, we will work closely with you to identify the best treatment remedy to offer you the pain relief you need. Below are the various types of spine surgery we can provide:
Discectomy
Your orthopedic surgeon will recommend a discectomy procedure if you have a herniated disc or injured disc. Depending on the specific location of the herniated disc along your spine, your surgeon could recommend any of the following discectomy procedures:
- Microsurgical discectomy — This surgical procedure can fix an injured or herniated disc through a minimally invasive surgery
- Percutaneous discectomy — Your surgeon will use this discectomy procedure to remove parts of the herniated disc causing uncomfortable symptoms like pain or numbness
- Lumbar discectomy — As previously mentioned, most people experience a herniated disc issue in the lower section of the spine. If this happens to you, a lumbar discectomy procedure would be best to fix the problem and keep the bothersome pain at bay
- Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion — Your surgeon will use this procedure to remove injured or herniated discs around your neck area
Generally speaking, a discectomy procedure is necessary to remove any damaged discs on your spine, which is the root cause of the uncomfortable pain you are experiencing.
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is a surgical treatment for disorders or conditions affecting your nervous system. If you have cancerous cells that have spread to your bones, making your spine unstable, our orthopedic surgeon could recommend neurosurgery to fix the condition.
Neurosurgery can remove parts of or all of the tumor or cancerous tissue on your bones, lessening your neurological difficulties and relieving the bothersome pain you are experiencing.
Lumbar Laminectomy
Also known as lumbar decompression surgery, a lumbar laminectomy can help relieve or reduce pressure on your nerves or spinal cord, especially if you have spinal stenosis, which causes the narrowing of your spine.
Our orthopedic surgeons will remove part or all of the lamina pressing against the nerves in your spinal canal during this spine surgery to reduce or stop the excruciating pain.
Spinal Fusion Surgery
If you have two adjacent vertebrae that cause pain when they move against each other, your orthopedic surgeon can connect or fuse them through a procedure known as spinal fusion surgery. During this procedure, your surgeon will use small rods and screws to fuse the affected vertebrae.
If necessary, the surgeon could take a small bone graft from any other part of your body or from a donor to help your vertebrae fuse.
Depending on the underlying root cause of your back pain and other symptoms associated with a spinal disorder, your orthopedic surgeon could recommend any of the above spine surgery procedures. If you need orthopaedic spine surgery in Los Angeles, our surgeons will examine your spinal pain or issue to determine the appropriate surgical procedure to fix your issue.
How to Prepare for a Spine Surgery
The preparations required for spine surgery will depend on the specific procedure your orthopedic surgeon finds appropriate for your unique spinal condition or disorder. Generally, here is what you should anticipate before, during, and after the surgery, respectively:
a. Before the Surgery
During your initial consultation with your orthopedic surgeon, he/she will give you instructions on what to do and not do before the surgery. For instance, he/she could require you to fast and stop taking particular medications because some medicines can alter the blood clotting process after surgery or increase the risk of excessive bleeding.
b. During the Surgery
Although spine surgery is a non-invasive procedure, your surgeon will put you under general anesthesia to numb the incision site and prevent any discomfort during the surgery. During the surgery, your orthopedic surgeon will access and examine the affected part of your spine using tiny incisions and special medical instruments like a microscope.
Modern microscopes can magnify and give the surgeon a detailed and clearer view of the affected region of your spine for precise treatment.
c. After the Surgical Procedure
Most spine surgery procedures are outpatient, meaning your surgeon can allow you to head home that day. However, other procedures could require you to stay in the hospital or clinic for two or three days before you go home.
Your surgeon will discuss the specific details of the necessary spine surgery procedure with you, meaning you will beware of how long you will stay in the hospital ahead of time.
After your spine surgery, the surgeon will give you home care tips to accelerate the healing of the incision site and your bothersome spinal condition. As mentioned earlier, a customized rehabilitation plan will be necessary a few days after your surgery to increase your physical strength and improve your range of motion.
Find an Los Angeles Orthopedic Surgeon Near Me
Reliable orthopedic surgeons at LAMIS are here for you online and in person if you need orthopaedic spine surgery in Los Angeles. We invite you to call us at 310-734-6088} to discuss your unique spinal pain or issue with our understanding pain specialists.
We look forward to being of help in your chronic pain management journey for the comfortable and happy life you deserve.
