Your spine makes it possible for you to sit, stand, walk, and move your torso. It is your body’s central support system, bearing your weight and keeping you upright. Spinal disorders and back pain can therefore be quite a hindrance to living well.
When nonsurgical treatment methods fail to address your back problem, back surgery is a viable treatment option. Whereas back surgery used to strike fear in patients because it so often resulted in causing debilitating issues, medical technology and techniques today make it possible for a back surgeon to perform the operation in a minimally invasive – and safer – way.
Let’s talk about a few of the most common spinal conditions that back surgery can be used to treat, and where you can go in Colorado Springs and the greater Denver area to see world-class neurosurgeons who can solve your back problem once and for all.
What Can Spine Surgery Fix?
Back surgery can successfully correct the following back problems:
Herniated Discs
A disc in the spine can become herniated when the outer layer of the disc develops a crack, and the softer inner portion pushes outward through the crack. When this happens, the disc can place constant pressure onto a nearby nerve – which can cause pain, numbness, or weakness, especially in an arm or leg, depending on its location in the spine.
Patients with a herniated disc may undergo back surgery to alleviate the pain. This may involve a discectomy to remove part or all of the damaged disc. Your back surgeon may recommend having the disc replaced with a prosthetic disc, which would work the same way that the original disc did. The spine surgeon may also recommend removing the disc altogether and having the surrounding vertebrae fused together, which is called a spinal fusion.
Spinal Compression Fractures
A compression fracture happens when a bone slightly collapses and develops a hairline break. Spinal fractures vary in severity and can occur in any part of the spine, especially in the lower half of the spine.
Symptoms of compression fractures include:
- Numbness or weakness, which can extend to the arms or legs
- Reduced mobility of the back
- Back pain
Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis in the vertebrae can make the spine particularly prone to compression fractures. Persons with spinal fractures may undergo kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty, which are minimally invasive types of back surgery to treat the fracture itself. Your spine surgeon injects a tiny amount of bone cement directly into the fracture, and this seals the fracture.
Degenerative Disc Disease
Degenerative disc disease occurs when the cushiony discs in your spine wear away. This condition decreases the space between the vertebrae.
Degenerative disc disease tends to cause chronic neck pain and back pain. The pain can:
- Get worse when lifting, sitting, or bending
- Spread down your lower back and into the buttocks
- Cause numbness or tingling in your arms or legs
- Last for weeks or months at a time, as the pain comes and goes
Patients with this condition may undergo back surgery to alleviate the pain, such as a discectomy or spinal fusion.
Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the gaps in your spinal vertebrae, putting inward pressure on the spinal cord which runs through those gaps. This condition usually occurs in the neck and lower back.
Symptoms of spinal stenosis in the neck area include:
- Neck pain
- Tingling or numbness in an arm, leg, hand, or foot
- Weakness in an arm, hand, or leg
- Problems with walking and balance
- Bowel or bladder dysfunction
When spinal stenosis affects the lower back, its symptoms include:
- Back pain
- Tingling or numbness in a leg or foot
- Pain in one or both legs when moving
- Cramping in one or both legs
- Weakness in a foot or leg
Individuals experiencing spinal stenosis may undergo a laminectomy. This type of back surgery will widen the space in the vertebrae for the spinal canal. This alleviates the compression being caused by the vertebrae applying inward pressure onto the sensitive spinal cord.
Back Surgery in Colorado Springs, CO
Here at Front Range Spine and Neurosurgery, we offer many treatments for neurological and spinal conditions, including back surgery. Our board-certified neurosurgeons provide personalized care for you, so you can get back to enjoying life.
If you are experiencing chronic neck pain or back pain, contact us today at (303) 790-1800. You can also fill out our convenient online form to request an appointment. Front Range Spine and Neurosurgery has multiple locations in central Colorado, including Colorado Springs, Lone Tree, Parker, Castle Rock, and Centennial – and we look forward to seeing you at our location nearest you!
