Spine surgery may be recommended to patients who have chronic neck or back pain that is not responding to conservative treatment methods, such as medication and physical therapy. Surgical treatment usually leads to outstanding success in helping patients who are in constant pain that is radiating and severe.
Spine surgeries include disc replacement surgery, discectomy and fusion surgery, and foraminotomy. Let’s talk about the different types of spine surgeries based on where they occur in the spine, and who you can go to about finding relief from your back pain or neck pain.
Main Types of Spine Surgery
For medical purposes, the spine is divided into three main sections: the cervical spine (neck), thoracic spine (mid-back), and lumbar spine (lower back). Each vertebra is specifically numbered as per its placement, and there is a cushiony disc that sits between each set of two adjacent vertebrae. There are also two fused sections at the bottom of the spine: the sacral spine and the coccyx, or tailbone. These sections do not have vertebral discs because they do not offer movement.
Cervical Spine Surgery
The cervical region of the spine comprises the C1 through C7 vertebrae in the neck. The cervical spine supports the head and facilitates blood flow to the brain.
Cervical spine surgery patients are often being treated for chronic neck pain that may radiate to the shoulders and arms. The pain may be due to injury, disease, or a damaged disc.
Thoracic Spine Surgery
The thoracic region of the spine connects the cervical region to the lumbar region. It is the longest part of your back, T1 through T12 vertebrae, and ending at your abdomen.
Thoracic spine surgery often includes spinal fusion, laminectomy, and mini-thoracotomy, all of which address the nerve irritation that produces pain and other symptoms resulting from a disc degeneration and/or disc herniation.
Lumbar Spine Surgery
The lumbar region of the spine is in the lower back region close to your buttocks. It runs from the L1 to L5 vertebrae. Pain in the lumbar spine may radiate down the buttocks to the legs.
A common type of lumbar spine surgery is a lumbar decompression, which aims to relieve pressure on the nerves in the lower spine. The pressure may be caused by irritation from a slipped disc, a disc herniation, or spinal stenosis. Following a lumbar decompression surgery, the surgeon may also perform a laminectomy, discectomy, or spinal fusion surgery to repair damaged parts of the vertebrae and other tissues or to stabilize the spine.
Spine Surgeons in Columbia, Eldersburg, and Catonsville, MD
If your neck pain or back pain has affected your life so much that it’s all you think about, our orthopedic surgeons at The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics Spine Care are here for you. We are highly skilled and experienced in the different types of spine surgeries, and our minimally invasive surgical methods are often performed as outpatient back surgery.
Call our friendly staff at The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics Spine Care today at (410) 644-1880 or (855) 4MD-BONE (463-2663) to schedule your appointment, or complete our appointment request form online now. We have convenient locations in Columbia, Eldersburg, and Catonsville, and we look forward to serving you.
