Spine surgery – Related disease & treatment

The spine serves as the main support for the posture of the human body and helps us to perform our daily chores with less difficulty. However, because the spine carries the body’s appreciative strain, it is vulnerable to a few diseases and injuries. If a spine condition or disease does not respond to conservative treatment methods, then spinal surgery is recommended for the patient. Spine surgery is a very delicate and complex procedure which is only carried out by experienced surgeons. Here in this blog Dr Gurneet Sawhney who is one of most experienced spine surgeon in Mumbai, India explains concerns related to spine surgery.

Related diseases to spine surgery

Today, spinal surgeries no longer impair the quality of life due to revolutions in the healthcare sector but are known to enhance the same. They provide patients who suffer from radiculopathy with rapid relief, which is the squeezing of nerve roots that can lead to neuropathic pain or avoid further aggravation of myelopathic symptoms that restrict the body’s functions. Many various illnesses and disorders affecting the spine are managed by orthopedic spine surgeons. Some spine disorders that can be treated with spinal surgery are described below:

  • Scoliosis
  • Schwannoma
  • Trauma and Injuries to Spinal Cord
  • Neurofibroma
  • Hemangioma
  • Spinal Metastatic Tumors
  • Hemangioblastoma
  • Meningioma
  • Hemangioblastoma
  • Fractures of Cervical Compression
  • The disease of the Degenerative Disc
  • Herniated Disc
  • Kyphosis
  • Vascular malformation
  • Chiari malformation
  • Spondylolisthesis

How do you know when spine surgery is required?

We almost always recommend that when someone comes to us with limb symptoms, they first get an assessment with their primary care physician. We will usually monitor them over time if a person has low back pain or neck pain and advise them to maintain healthy, stable physical activity and see if the problem resolves. The next step will be to see a doctor for an examination if the condition is not fixed by physical exercise, over-the-counter medications, or pain relief and anti-inflammatory drugs.

It is possible to treat many patients with spine issues non-surgically. Before contemplating surgery, physical therapy, home workouts, medication, and occasionally spinal injections are recommended. If the issue is still not addressed, then surgery becomes a good choice.

For example, if a patient has severe neurogenic limb pain and no relief has been given by non-surgical management, surgical intervention is the best decision. If non-surgical management has been inadequate, surgical intervention may be recommended for those with symptoms related to the spinal cord or nerve root compressions, such as severe weakness in an arm or leg, or limb.

What are the important variations between conventional and minimally invasive spine surgery?

The full exposure of the anatomy requires conventional open spine surgery. We surgically reveal less of the anatomy in minimally invasive spine surgery, indicating, in many cases, an earlier recovery in the first few weeks after surgery. We often use additional surgical aids in minimally invasive spine surgery, such as intraoperative spinal navigation. This allows the surgeon greater access to restricted-exposure surgical areas.

The aims are the same over the long-term, whether minimally invasive or traditional; we want to achieve overall progress in symptoms or a halt in degeneration. Ultimately, in the weeks following surgery, we want our procedures to result in less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, lower infection rates, and quicker recovery. Typically, minimally invasive surgery results in a smoother period of rehabilitation for patients, but not every patient or surgical procedure is ideal for minimally invasive surgery. To find the best treatment choice for your condition, it is crucial that you collaborate with your spine surgeon.

Surgery is a trauma that is regulated. Therefore, we aim to optimize the patient’s advantage while minimizing the surgical trauma as much as possible.  As needed, we introduce leading surgical techniques and technologies, and our patients benefit from the academic study by our surgeons to further both minimally invasive and complex procedures for spine surgery.