Back surgery is a medical procedure which aims to alter a patient s physical structure, including eliminating a herniated spinal disc which is often the source of severe pain in people who have suffered back pain. Back surgery can be appropriate for certain patients whose back pain has not significantly decreased after several weeks of non-operative treatments, of course depending on the severity of the back pain. The back surgery procedure can also be used to correct deformities (if there are any) that might be causing back pain or discomfort. Back surgery can either be a minor surgical procedure or a major surgical procedure, such as when a herniated spinal disc needs to be surgically removed.
The procedure is performed under general anesthesia. After this, the patient is positioned in the operating room and given local and regional anesthesia, in accordance with the recommendations of the treating doctor. The procedure is administered by qualified medical personnel. If there is an herniated disc, or if the procedure is needed to correct a deformation of the spine, then the procedure will involve stitching the surrounding muscles together in order to hold the spinal structure in place and give it sufficient support. Once the procedure is successfully completed, the patient will be able to get pain relief almost immediately, though some back surgery procedures can take a bit longer, from one to three weeks, depending on the severity of the herniated disk or of the back surgery procedure.
The surgical wounds in the procedure will not heal properly without the involvement of an expert surgeon, so it is important that you talk to your surgeon about possible complications that you might experience during or after the surgery. These complications could include excessive bleeding, clot formation, spinal stenosis, infection, or spinal fusion. It is also possible for you to become paralyzed during the surgery. If you experience any of these problems, your surgeon will explain these possibilities to you and provide you with ways to deal with them. Back surgery is often a major surgical procedure, but when done correctly, it is an outpatient procedure, which means you will be able to return home the same day as your procedure.