Discectomy

Effective, Personalized Spine Treatment in Orange County

At Newport Orthopedic Institute, our spine surgeons specialize in the most advanced techniques and technology when treating spine conditions that affect the back and neck. Your spine surgeon will build a customized treatment plan for your back or neck pain and will try to exhaust all nonsurgical treatment options before recommending spine surgery.

A discectomy is a type of back surgery used to treat patients with a slipped or herniated disc. The disc will protrude from its original position and may push on the spinal cord or nerve root, causing pain and radiating symptoms. This can occur anywhere in the spine, but most commonly in the neck and low back.

Are you a candidate for a Discectomy?

Your doctor may recommend discectomy to repair the nerve root and/or spinal cord compression that has caused pain, reduced mobility, and lowered your quality of life. Symptoms may include persistent nerve pain that radiates down the leg or arm, causing weakness and physical limitations.

Typically, your spine surgeon will attempt to treat your back or neck pain with nonsurgical treatments such as physical therapy, acupuncture and anti-inflammatories. After 4 – 6 weeks of unsuccessful nonsurgical treatment, further diagnostic imaging, such as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or a computer tomography (CT) scan and myelograms, may be ordered to help confirm the presence of a herniated disc, its location, size & degree of impingement on nerves and spinal cord.

What to expect from a Discectomy?

A discectomy involves removing all or part of the damaged disc. In the neck (cervical spine), discectomy is typically performed through an incision in the front of the neck and can be combined with a disc replacement or a fusion. In the lower back (lumbar spine), your spine surgeon may need to also perform a laminotomy in conjunction with a discectomy in order to remove part of the lamina, the arch of the vertebra, and gain access to the spinal canal to remove the disc fragments that are impinging the nerve roots causing the radiating nerve pain.

A minimally invasive discectomy is done through a small incision, which can lead to a shorter, less painful recovery period and the surgery can be performed on an outpatient basis. Your orthopedic surgeon will decide whether discectomy is right for you depending on your underlying pain, presence of neurologic impairment and whether nonsurgical care has provided any relief.

Get Relief from Back Pain Today! Call Newport Orthopedic Institute at (949) 722-7038.