The spine, commonly known as the backbone or the vertebral column is akin to a beam holding our body up. A hard, bony part and a marvel of evolution, it houses the extremely delicate spinal cord which is responsible for all our motor movements. The spine is essentially made up of flat bony discs that begin in the neck and go right down to the coccyx in the lower back. A problem in any one of the discs can lead to debilitating pain and a change in your walking pattern
The spine is the most important part of the musculoskeletal system, responsible for all movement. Its 33 bones are divided into 5 main regions:
It is also prone to age related damages, conditions such as arthritis or even afflictions like bone spurs, all of which require expert and accurate diagnosis and treatment/management of the disease. Spinal deformity, spinal infections, trauma, spine tumours and some degenerative spine conditions, such as stenosis and herniated disks are some other conditions, where doctors have to resort to surgical interventions to correct these. Which is why it is critical to select the right hospital and expert doctors.
Today, with rapid advances in technology and robotics playing an increasingly important role in operating procedures, doctors can perform a different type of spine surgeries, including Laparoscopic surgeries that are minimally invasive. Some of the most prominent ones are:
One of the most common lower back operations, this is to tackle the narrowing of the spine, mainly due to ageing, in the lumbar regions. It is also known as spinal stenosis. In this procedure, the surgery is carried out to widen the spinal canal and thereby relieve the pressure placed on the spinal cord.
The spine is made of multiple discs. Sometimes a disc may get injured – simple activities like suddenly lifting weights, bowling, or trauma could cause it. Treatment may involve Minimally Invasive Arthroscopic Discectomy or open spine surgery, depending on the location and extent of injury.
In this type of operation, expert surgeons remove part or all of the injured disc completely. This is done so that the alternate vertebra can be fused to alleviate the pain. However, the issue with spinal fusion is that it limits the movement of that region drastically. Hence, this decision should be taken in consultation with your doctor and the best surgeons in Delhi-NCR.
The discs in the spine have a gel like cushioning in between them. This is to prevent the discs rubbing against each other. At times this cushioning depletes due to illness or trauma to the spine, causing immense pain. To prevent this, doctors use small screws and rods to mimic the natural distance, ensuring that while the discs stay in place, the patient has some mobility as well.
Scoliosis usually happens in children or adolescents, where the spinal curvature takes on a ‘C’ or ‘S’ shape. While the cause of Scoliosis remains undiagnosed, it can be attributed to birth defects, neurological problems or genetic disorders. Treatment is dependent on the severity of the abnormality and can range from bracing to surgery.
A spinal fracture develops after the vertebrae breaks because of trauma associated with osteoporosis and disease conditions. Such injuries occur primarily at the thoracic or lumbar locations of the spine. The treatment approach depends on severity because patients with mild injuries require bracing but those with severe injuries require either vertebroplasty or spinal fusion to maintain spinal stability and decrease nerve compression.
There are two main types of spine operations – Open surgery and Minimally Invasive Surgery.
If you are looking out for any type of spine surgery that needs to be performed or choosing a hospital for your spine surgery, just keep the following in mind:
One should also check the proximity of the chosen hospital. For example, those residing in North Delhi, can consider Sant Parmanand Hospital situated in Kashmere Gate region for any type of spine operations. We have few of the best spine surgeons in Delhi –NCR.
Discectomy and spinal fusion are two types of operations that occur along with laminectomy, which relieves the nerves of pressure when combined with artificial disc replacement in spinal surgeries.
Recovery depends on the procedure. Patients undergoing minimally invasive procedures require weeks to recover and patients having spinal fusion need multiple months for recovery, with assistance of physical therapy.
No, surgery is a last resort. Health professionals treat most cases of back pain effectively through therapy and medication together with injections until confirmation of severe nerve compression or spinal instability.
