Pinched nerve surgery for the spine is reserved for patients who experience pain and limited mobility from a pinched nerve and have tried other conventional treatment methods without success. Learning that you’ll have to resort to surgery to treat your pinched nerve symptoms can be upsetting at first, but the good news is that there are different surgical approaches to choose from, giving you the freedom to select the option you feel most comfortable with.
Since a pinched nerve is caused by tissue, bone, or disc material placing pressure on the nerve, the surgical treatment will involve decompression by way of removing the obstruction to free up space in the spinal or nerve canals. Two common types of pinched nerve surgery are foraminotomy and laminotomy, and both are usually performed in a hospital setting under general anesthesia. During laminotomy, the surgeon removes a piece of the lamina, which is a bone that acts as a shield to cover the spinal cord. During a foraminotomy, the opening where a nerve exits the spinal cord is surgically enlarged to relieve pressure from the nerve. Both procedures typically involve a large incision and significant damage to muscles and tissue, so the recovery time can be lengthy and prescription pain medication may be required for several weeks.
Laser Spine Institute (LSI) also offers foraminotomy and laminotomy to treat pinched nerves and other spinal conditions, but we perform these procedures on an outpatient basis. Our minimally invasive pinched nerve surgery involves revolutionary endoscopic techniques that drastically cut down on the incision, pain, and recovery time associated with traditional open back surgeries. At LSI, many patients begin to feel relief within the same day of surgery and more than 85% experience relief from their symptoms within 3 months.
If you’ve been diagnosed with a pinched nerve and are tired of living with its painful symptoms, it may be time to consider a minimally invasive procedure from LSI. Our caring staff can answer any of your questions or concerns, so contact us today and ask us about our free MRI or CT scan review.
