It is a surgical technique that has as its main objective to reduce pressure levels in the spinal nerves and spinal cord. This strain is commonly caused by overgrowth or degeneration of the bony structures that make up the spine.
It is a medical decompression procedure that allows the space between the affected vertebrae to be expanded by removing bone spurs, herniated discs or tissues damaged by arthritis.
In lumbar laminectomy, small vertebral fragments (bone sheets) are cut and removed to expand the spinal canal and decrease pressure.
This type of surgery is often applied to people who suffer from arthritis of the spine and those who develop bone deformities, either due to aging or hereditary factors.
It should be noted that lumbar laminectomy is recommended only when conservative treatment (medications, injections, physiotherapy, among others) did not have the expected effect or when the patient has aggravated symptoms that evolve rapidly.
In lumbar laminectomy, general anesthesia is applied to the patient so that they cannot feel anything during the intervention. Subsequently, the specialist makes an incision in the back (at the level of the damaged structures) and sets aside the skin, muscles and ligaments to have direct access to the spine.
The surgeon uses various instruments to remove the bone spur and some thin sheets of the vertebrae that are producing tension (the amount varies according to the patient’s needs).
When lumbar laminectomy is used to treat a herniated disc, the specialist is responsible for removing both the herniated part and any fragments that may have detached; something very similar to what happens in discectomy.
The length of the incision will depend on the type of condition being treated and the dimensions of the patient’s body. Simple problems can be solved through a minimally invasive incision leaving a much smaller scar.
When facing surgery with generalized anesthesia, you should avoid eating at least 8 hours before surgery.
It is also important that you follow the medical instructions that your specialist has given you about the authorized and unauthorized medications in this type of procedure.
In this section, we compile the most common questions regarding Lumbar Laminectomy and give concise answers to each of them…
Generally, patients are discharged 3 to 5 days after the intervention; Before leaving the health center, the specialist will give you some indications for back care when you get home.
During the first two weeks, the patient will begin to notice better mobility and less pain in their back. In most cases, people can return to their (low-impact) work activities after a couple of months.
Among the possible ailments derived from a spine surgery like this are:
To determine the cost of a lumbar laminectomy, all the important aspects surrounding it must first be considered (the patient’s health conditions, previous procedures, complexity of the current lesion, techniques to be applied, among others).
For this reason, we consider that the most prudent thing to do is to establish a particular budget for each patient directly at our Orthopedic Center.
The spine is an area as delicate as it is vital for the human body; therefore, specialists and surgeons work with precision and extreme care during each phase of the intervention, this means that the procedure can take between 1 and 3 hours in total.
When you get home, try to take into account the following recommendations:
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