SPINAL FUSION
What is spinal fusion?
Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure that fuses two or more vertebrae together, causing them to grow together. We address fractures, scoliosis and back pain with this procedure.
What is the estimated recovery time?
Spinal fusion requires approximately 3 to 12 months of healing time. During this time, your neurosurgeon may restrict your activities to ensure your back has the time it needs to fully heal.
SPINAL DECOMPRESSION
What is spinal decompression?
Spinal decompression involves alleviating pain and/or numbness by removing bone or portions of disc material that may be compressing the spinal cord or spinal nerve roots. Examples of these procedures include laminectomy (removal of the back of one or more vertebrae) and microdiscectomy (removal of a portion of the bone to give nerves more room to heal).
What is the estimated recovery time?
Recovery time is dependent on the number of spinal levels that need to be decompressed. If surgery is recommended, recovery time is typically 1 weeks to 2 weeks. You and your neurosurgeon will discuss your plan and exact treatment together.
MISS
What is minimally-invasive spine surgery?
Minimally-invasive spine surgery (or MISS for short) provides us the necessary tools to conduct sensitive surgeries with smaller incisions and less tissue trauma. This leads to less postoperative pain and faster recovery times for patients.
What is the estimated recovery time?
The spine is a sensitive area of the body; depending on the type of spinal disease and type of MISS required, recovery times can range from 1 week to 6 weeks. However, due to the minimally-invasive nature of these treatments, recovery time is considerably shorter than other procedures. Make sure to consult your physician for your specific treatment and recovery plan.
IMAGE GUIDED SPINE SURGERY
What is image-guided spine surgery?
Image-guided spine surgery utilizes CT scanning and Spinal Neuro navigation, C Arm during the surgery to guide the placement of surgical hardware in real time. This approach allows increased precision in surgical planning and hardware placement, improving outcomes as well as surgical safety for the patient.
What is the estimated recovery time?
This depends largely on the scope of your procedure — whether it’s one-level fusion or multiple-level scoliosis surgery. Your neurosurgeon will work closely with you to help you understand what’s entailed in your procedure so you can plan your recovery in advance.
TOTAL DISC REPLACEMENT
What is total disc replacement?
Total disc replacement (TDR) is an alternative solution to spinal fusion. The procedure includes the complete removal of an affected disc in the vertebrae, followed by placement of an artificial disc (often made from metal and biomedical grade plastics). Good candidates for TDR include young, active patients, as well as candidates that have “soft” disc herniation.
What is the estimated recovery time?
Recovery times for TDR patients vary, however, most times, those who undergo this procedure are able to return to work significantly sooner due to the use of non-fusion techniques.
SPINAL CORD STIMULATION
What is spinal cord stimulation?
Spinal cord stimulation is used when patients feel pain, but there is not a clear cause that can be treated directly. Rather that directly addressing the cause of the pain through disc herniation removal, spinal cord stimulation therapy consists of sending electrical impulses into the spinal cord to interfere with the conscious perception of pain. The operation involves placing electrodes into the epidural space, over the spinal cord and within the spinal canal, and connecting these electrodes to a pacemaker that is also surgically implanted.
Prior to proceeding with permanent implantation, patients who are considering this therapy undergo a spinal cord stimulation trial, whereby small electrodes are passed via a needle through the skin into the spinal canal, similar to an epidural procedure. Through this less invasive approach, patients can “test drive” the therapy to make sure it is right for them.
What is the estimated recovery time?
Because this is an outpatient procedure, most patients go home the same day. However, given that this is an operation performed on patients with chronic pain, postoperative pain can be significant, necessitating hospital admittance and observation following surgery for pain control. To minimize the risk of postoperative node displacement, patients should avoid twisting, turning, or bending for about 6 weeks.
