Lumbar Spine Surgery
Lumbar Spine Surgery Overview
Lumbar spine surgery describes a number of surgical procedures used to repair diseases and defects of the lower back.
Lumbar spine surgery is sometimes used when problems with the vertebrae that make up the lumbar spine cause pain, numbness, or other symptoms. These procedures include:
- Lumbar decompression – removes a small portion of the bone over the nerve root and/or disc material from under the nerve root to relieve pinching of the nerve
- Lumbar fusion – joins, or fuses, two or more vertebrae in the lumbar region, the lower back, to stabilize painful motion
In addition, lumbar spine surgery may be recommended to treat other disease that affect the lower back, such as:
- Tumors of the spine and spinal cord
- Blood vessel disorders affecting the spinal cord, such as arteriovenous malformations and cavernous malformations
- Traumatic injury
What is lumbar spine surgery used for?
Lumbar spine surgery is used to treat:
- Degenerative disc disease
- Herniated, ruptured, or bulging discs
- Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
- Spinal fracture
- Spinal stenosis
- Spondylolisthesis
- Spine and spinal cord tumors
- Vascular disorders of the spinal cord
Am I a good candidate for lumbar spine surgery?
You may be a good candidate for lumbar spine surgery if a specific anatomical defect causing your problems has been identified, more conservative forms of treatment such as physical therapy and medication have failed to relieve your symptoms, and you are otherwise in reasonably good health.
