The full or partial removal of a spinal disc, referred to as a discectomy or microdiscectomy, is often a last resort if other treatments have failed to provide sufficient relief. While this procedure often produces beneficial results for patients with disc-related pain, it's understandable to have concerns about any type of spine-related surgery, including herniated disc surgery. Below, we go over what to consider as you determine whether or not a discectomy is something that could be a worthwhile option for you.
How Disc-Related Discomfort Is Affecting You
There are several factors that apply to you personally that will ultimately determine whether or not getting a microdiscectomy is worth it for you. The first one is the nature and extent of your discomfort. Depending on how nearby nerves are irritated, symptoms related to a herniated or damaged spinal disc can range from mild and intermittent to debilitating and frequently disruptive.
If it's becoming increasingly difficult to live with or manage your discomfort, a discectomy is worth considering. Also, look at your overall quality of life in relation to your disc-related discomfort. Quality of daily life typically includes:
• Your ability to benefit from a good night's sleep
• How well you're able to perform your job
• The nature and extent of your symptoms as you go through your day
Your Preferred Activity Level
Your natural level of activity is another factor to consider when weighing your options with a discectomy. If your main goal is to simply get through your day without too much discomfort, conservative treatments may be sufficient. However, if you're normally physically active or athletic, you may benefit more from a microdiscectomy, especially if other treatments aren't allowing you to get back to your preferred level of activity.
How Well You're Responding to Other Treatments
There are many ways to, at the very least, manage symptoms related to a damaged spinal disc without surgery. Physical therapy is what's commonly recommended. However, patients with disc-related pain may also respond well to nonsurgical treatments or pain management recommendations involving:
• Medication, which could include steroid injections
• Chiropractic adjustments
• Nonsurgical decompression
• Lifestyle adjustments
If it's been six months or more and you're still not responding well to any of the nonsurgical treatments you've tried, consider discussing a microdiscectomy with your doctor or a surgeon. On the other hand, if you're noticing some improvements, you may want to see if there are additional nonsurgical treatments you might benefit from first.
Making a Well-Informed Decision
Schedule an appointment to talk to your doctor or a surgeon solely for the purpose of asking questions and getting a professional opinion. Doing so will give you a chance to gather more information specific to your situation. You should then be able to decide with more certainty if a discectomy is worth getting. Keep in mind that the surgical techniques used today for spine-related procedures are typically less invasive, which often reduces the time needed for discectomy recovery.
Although discectomy surgery is a common and generally quite successful procedure, patients with a larger hole in the outer ring of the disc have a significantly higher risk of reherniation following surgery. Fortunately, there’s a new treatment specifically designed to close the large holes that are often left in spinal discs after discectomy surgery. Barricaid is a bone-anchored device proven to reduce the rate of reherniations, and 95 percent of Barricaid patients didn’t undergo a reoperation due to reherniation in a 2-year study timeframe. This treatment is done immediately following the discectomy—during the same operation—and doesn’t require any additional incisions or time in the hospital.
If you have any questions about the Barricaid treatment or how to get access to Barricaid, ask your doctor or contact us at 844-288-7474.
For full benefit/risk information, please visit: https://www.barricaid.com/instructions.
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