| SPINAL
Surgery
|
|
|
*The primary purpose of spine surgery is to
correct an anatomical lesion (injury) in those individuals who
fail to show improvement with conservative treatment. For those
patients who have back pain, but no anatomical reason can be
found, surgery is not advised and conservative treatment is the
recommended course of action.
Spine
surgery is typically an "elective" undertaking, meaning
that it is considered as a possible approach to enhance a
patients ability to function and decrease pain.
Only
in rare instances, such as for patients who have a progressive
neurological loss of function or sudden onset of bowel or bladder
incontinence, is spine surgery actually necessary on an emergency
basis.
Spine
surgery is performed either by an orthopedic surgeon or a neurosurgeon.
With recent advances in surgical technique, many procedures may now
be done with a minimum amount of unhealthy aftereffects (morbidity)
and can be expected to have a high degree of success.
In
recent years, spine surgery has become increasingly specialized
(e.g. the North American Spine Society has grown to include over
2,000 members). It is thought that the increasing level of
specialization and focus on the spine has contributed to
enhancements in surgical technique, which in turn has led to overall
improved success rates and reduced morbidity (e.g. reduced
post-operative discomfort).
Common surgery of the spine:
*Source:
*Spine-Health.com
|
