Thank you for joining me once again this evening for these nightly podcasts. I am Dr. Harrison Campbell owner of Restoration Health a premier sugar land chiropractors office. In tonightís podcast we will be discussing v
There are many different types of spinal surgery, but the most common for the low back include discectomies, foraminotomies, and fusions. As many sugar land chiropractors will tell you, if you can avoid surgeries it is best to go the conservative right at least first. This is due to the fact that fifty percent of back surgeries fail. We will discuss the reason for this failure in a minute.
The three procedures listed all involve a disc injury typically with associated neurological signs and symptoms. The discectomy involves removing the part of the disc which is herniated. While this does help eliminate symptoms it does lend a helping hand to the back surgery failing.
As stated before fifty percent of back surgeries fail and in my opinion the failure of the discectomy procedure is due to a lack of education.
The primary job of sugar land chiropractors and doctors in general is first and foremost education. We are neuromusculoskeletal experts and this use our knowledge to educate patients on healthy practice and the paths available to take in order to obtain those healthy practices.
With the discectomy procedure and the removal of the disc, the symptoms disappear as the root of the problem has been removed. This creates a problem in that the patient was not educated on what created this problem in the first place and thus is more likely to repeat this process and reunite the disc.
This is what I try to avoid at. Restoration Health and this is in my opinion what makes us a premier sugar land chiropractors office. We educate the patient on how to lift properly, how to have a healthy lumbar spine, on how to preserve the health of the discs so that they can avoid injury and re injury to these discs.
A surgery without education especially in the case of simply removing the injured disc tissue will help with symptoms but does not help with the ultimate problem of poor biomechanics which is usually why people injure their back in the first place.
The responsibility led sugar land chiropractors then becomes to educate the people that yes a surgery is available but letís learn how to lift properly so that way even if the surgery is the chosen path we can reduce the risk of re injury.
Now onto the next procedure. Foraminotomies are a procedure where the canal or foramen where the nerve roots or nerve pass through are opened up. Typically, this procedure is performed in conjunction with a discectomy but it can be performed as a stand alone procedure. Many sugar land chiropractors will state that when comparted to a discectomy the foraminotomy has fewer risks associated with it. I do not strictly agree with that sentiment. All procedures no matter how minor have risks associated with them. In the case of the foraminotomies the risks have to do with stability. In some cases, while widening the foramen the facet joints are removed from the vertebrae. This procedure is called a facetectomy. By removing these structures or joints, the biomechanics of the spine are altered. This can create a problem where the spine has more motion than intended, also known as instability. Long term problems with this can include arthritis in the facet joints above and below the level at which they were removed due to the added stress they are placed under, again due to the altered biomechanics.
The third procedure is a fusion. Many consider this the most invasive and most risky procedure of the three. I would consider all back surgeries invasive. As for the riskiness of the procedure, the quality of the surgeon performing the procedure will help reduce the risks, but there are more risks associated with this procedure when compared to the others we mentioned. This again comes back to the biomechanics of the spine mentioned before. As sugar land chiropractors will tell you there is a normal and acceptable level of motion which occurs in joint. In the case of the foraminotomy the joint was removed, and things were moving more due to instability. For the fusion something similar happens. The vertebrae of the spine are essentially welded together or fused, hints the name fusion. This created an area of the spine where zero motion happens. While this area no longer moves, the body wants to retain the normal level or at the very least the maximum level of motion it can. In order for this to happen, the areas of the spine above and below the fusion must move more or become hypermobile. The increase mobility wears the joints out faster, again this can create early arthritic conditions in the joints. What can also occur is tears or herniations, again more stress it being placed on these joints than is considered normal under biomechanical standpoints.
Hopefully this information on these three procedures clears up any confusion on your part about what path to take. Conservative care should always be the first step in my opinion. Let us start with the least invasive options, therapy, rehabilitation, adjustments before we jump to surgery. This being said, there are instances where the surgery is necessary. I myself have undergone surgery; in my case it was a needed step. This is why having a conversation with your doctor, asking questions is a needed step. We have a prior podcast on asking questions at the doctorís office. I would go listen to it to have a better grasp on conversing with your doctor.
Thank you for joining me this evening for our podcast. I do hope this was educational for you and you can implement this knowledge in your daily life. As always should you require the services of sugar land chiropractors please give Restoration Health a call today. We would love to hear from you. Thank you once again and have a great evening.