recover their movements within one month. With or without an operation, more than
80% of patients with obvious surgical indications eventually recover. The reason is that,
in a majority of the population, the herniated disc shrinks due to continued lack of blood
supply and degenerates. Hence the pressure exerted on the spinal nerves eases and
symtoms regress. Thus, you can actually avoid surgery if you wait a little and see if
improvement occurs. Obviously if things get worse i.e. red flags become more
pronounced, surgery would be the best option.
Moreover, surgery increases the chance of other operative procedures with higher
complication rates. Overall, the incidence of first time disc surgery complications,
including infection and bleeding, is less than 1%. The figure increases dramatically with
older patients or repeated procedures. I have already told you that there is no surgical
operation that has zero percent risk. Even in the best of hands, long term complications
or death can occur. Your doctor may assure you that the risk of such an adverse event
may be 1 in a 1000 or even 10000. It is of little comfort to you if you are that 1. Surgery
should therefore only be done when the benefits outweigh its risks.
Surgery for degenerative disc disordersThe surgical goal is to reduce pain and restore spinal stability. The surgical techniques
are:
Decompression: Removal of tissue pressing against a nerve structure, and/or
Stabilization: Limitation of motion between vertebrae.
Decompression Surgery
Decompression procedures can be done from the back (posterior) or front (anterior) of
the spine, depending on how and where the nerve tissue is being compressed. In
decompression, the tissue pressing against the nerve or spinal cord is surgically
removed, or more space is created for the nerve tissue to remain unobstructed.
Posterior surgical decompressions are most commonly employed. The main types are: