Spine Surgery: Types, Recovery Time, Risks, and Benefits

Do you want to know everything about medical interventions of a surgical sort meant for the correction of your backbone? This post deals with the types, recovery, risks, and benefits of spinal surgery.

The spine is the most complicated section of the skeletal system. It requires a lot of precision on the part of the surgeon to ensure the best possible outcomes. Thus, always see that you connect with the best spine surgeon in Delhi in the first place.

Types of Spine Surgery

There are several types of surgeries performed to correct spinal deformities or conditions. The following are the major ones with their purposes.

• Discectomy:

  Your backbone is made up of various small units that connect with each other to form the entire line of the spine. Each unit is called a vertebra. Between two such units a soft protective tissue is found known as the intervertebral disc.

  
  

  Sometimes, the intervertebral disc gets herniated because of wear and tear or external trauma. Herniation or herniated disk is the condition where the soft substance inside the disc, which is found in the centre, protrudes through an abnormal opening in the outer hard shell around the disc.

  
  

  This disruption, in the anatomical structure of the disc, causes pain, weakness and numbness because of the stress imposed on the spinal cord; this part connects your spine to the brain.

  
  

  Thus, to treat the condition of herniated disc, Discectomy is performed. In the procedure, the entire or part of the affected disc is removed to relieve pain and inflammation in the nearby region.

• Spinal Fusion:

  In this procedure, two vertebrae (spinal units) are connected. This intervention is required to ensure stability, reduce spinal inflammation and alleviate pain.

• Laminectomy:

  In this procedure, a portion of a vertebra is removed that is called Lamina. It can be done because of the fact that Lamina is the cause of spinal inflammation impacting the entire life of the patient negatively, for example, severe pain in the back making it difficult for you to even carry out your basic physical activities like walking, climbing stairs etc.

  
  

  The main purpose of this treatment is the widening of the spinal canal and creating more space for the spinal nerves and the other components involved.

• Artificial Disc Replacement (ADR):

  When a spinal or intervertebral disc is damaged or worn-out, a surgeon might go for ADR to replace the same so the patient can attain better mobility.

• Vertebroplasty:

  It is a less surgical procedure as compared to the preceding ones. Here, the surgeon attempts to fill fractures in a vertebra. This procedure corrects the condition of compression fractures either caused by osteoporosis or natural degeneration.

  
  

  To perform this procedure, a special type of cement is used to fill the breaks via an injection.

  
  

  If you need the top orthopedic surgeon in India, you will have to consider some of the factors while searching for the same: experience, expertise, educational background, location, cost of treatment, etc.

  
  

  All these factors will help decide on the best surgeon without wasting much resources.

Recovery Process

The recovery after spine surgery varies from person to person. It depends on a variety of conditions like the type of procedure performed, and individual factors such as

• Overall health

• Age

• Weight

• Comorbidity

Once a spine surgery has been performed, the patient will have to go through an intensive care that is governed by the post-operative rehabilitation protocol.

If you want to know as to how much time you might need in particular after the surgery, talk to your surgeon. They will give you a timeline as close to practicality as possible. Only an experienced doctor can offer you the most accurate medical opinion about the recovery time.

After the surgery, firstly, you are transferred to a recovery room in the same hospital or any other medical facility as per the situation, where your physiological activities are monitored on a daily basis to see if everything is as it should be for a healthy recovery post-surgery.

Once you have spent enough time to recover from the time immediately after the intervention, physical therapy is recommended. The therapy uses massage, heat, and exercise other than drugs to relieve pain and ensure better mobility.

However, post-operation a surgeon also puts you on medication for the management of pain.

Risks of Spine Surgery

While spine surgery can offer significant benefits, it also carries potential risks and complications.

Some of them are as follows:

• Infection

• Blood Clots

• Nerve Damage

• Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS)

After a surgery, there are always high chances of infection. And due to that, a surgeon has to put their patient on antibiotics. However, it is only a concern when you are not being operated by a competent surgeon.

Furthermore, because right after the surgery, you cannot go about moving immediately. The bout of inactivity can increase the risk of blood clots. These clots can form in the leg area or the same can also travel all the way from there to your lungs causing complications. At times, if this entire clotting is not prevented and treated in time, it could also be a life threatening situation.

Some people can also face the failed back surgery syndrome after the treatment.

Benefits of Spine Surgery

Under normal conditions, a spinal surgery can offer the following advantages.

• Pain Relief

• Improved Mobility

• Prevention of Neurological Complications—in cases where spinal compression is causing neurological symptoms like weakness or numbness, surgery can prevent further nerve damage and improve neurological function to a great extent.

• Active Lifestyle

• No More Dependency—when your spine is no more painful, you can live your life once again independently.

• Healthy Future

• Happiness and Positivity