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You may have a “pinched nerve.” This can be produced by a ruptured disc or by bone spurs. Discs are rubbery shock absorbers between the vertebrae, and are close to the nerves which travel down to the arms. If the disc is damaged, part of it may bulge or even burst free into the spinal canal, putting pressure on the nerve and causing arm pain, numbness, or weakness. Bone spurs, usually the result of arthritis, can also put pressure on nerves. Occasionally, pressure from bone spurs or a ruptured disc may affect the spinal cord and cause abnormalities in the legs or lower parts of the body.
In most cases, a small (three-four inch) incision is made in the posterior part of the neck. Near the location of the problem. Muscles supporting the spine are pushed aside temporarily, and a small “window” is made into the spinal canal. The spinal nerve is protected, and the ruptured part of the disc or the bone spur is removed. If bone spurs and arthritis are the cause of your problem, you may require a bigger incision and more bone may have to be removed. For conservative care you may be referred to physical therapy. You can schedule an appointment with our outpatient Physical Therapy by calling 732.557.3283.
In almost all cases, the major reason for spine surgery is pain which is intolerable to the patient. Often non-surgical measures can control the pain satisfactorily. However, if the pain persists at an unacceptable level, if you cannot function because of pain, or
if weakness or other neurologic problems develop, then surgery may be necessary to relieve the problem.
Both orthopedists and neurosurgeons are trained in spinal surgery and both specialists may perform this surgery. It is important that your surgeon specialize in this type of procedure.
Most patients stay 24 hours. Complications may require longer stays.
There is usually very little blood loss with this operation, and transfusions are almost never necessary.
You should try to get up and move around as much as your symptoms allow. You may walk as much as you like.
For at least 6 weeks, you should avoid lifting (no more than 10 pounds), overhead lifting, frequent or repetitive neck movements and vigorous sports until instructed otherwise by your surgeon.
That depends on what kind of work you do and how far you have to drive. It can be as little as two weeks, but may be longer if your job involves manual labor or if you have to drive more than 30 minutes to get there.
90-95 percent of patients get relief of their nerve symptoms or arm pain. Neck and shoulder pain are less predictably relieved by disc surgery. Up to 15 percent of patients may have some neck and shoulder aching after surgery; this percentage may be higher
in patients who have a substantial amount of neck and shoulder pain before surgery.
Other conditions such as fibromyalgia may also produce continued pain even after successful disc surgery.
No-even if you have excellent relief of pain, the disc has still been damaged.
However, most people can resume almost all of their normal activities after disc surgery.
People who do heavy work generally take longer to recover and may not be able to do everything they could do before their injury.
The chances of neurologic injury with disc surgery are very low, and the possibility of catastrophic injury such as paralysis, is highly unlikely, though not impossible. Injury to a nerve root with isolated numbness and/or weakness in the arm is possible.
There are general risks with any type of surgery. These include, but are not limited to, the possibility of wound infection, uncontrollable bleeding, collection of blood clots in the wound or in the veins of the leg, pulmonary embolism (movement of a blood clot to the lung), heart attack, stroke and death. The chances of any of these events happening, particularly to a generally healthy patient, are low.
No, only the ruptured part and any other obviously abnormal disc material is removed. This generally amounts to no more than 10-15 percent of the whole disc.
Unfortunately, yes. As mentioned above, only part of the disc is removed and there is no way to make the remaining disc normal again, so recurrent herniations do occasionally occur. Also, adjacent discs may be or may become abnormal too, and could rupture in the future.
No. Exercise is good for you. You should get some sort of moderate, low-impact aerobic exercise at least 3 times a week. Walking either outside or on a treadmill and using an exercise bike are all examples of the type of exercise which is appropriate for spine patients.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Cervical Laminectomy
