With any surgery for a herniated spinal disc, relieving nerve pressure and minimizing or eliminating disruptive symptoms is the goal. While there are many benefits associated with procedures of this nature, surgery is often a last resort and only recommended if other treatments aren't effective. Today, we discuss when it's a good idea to consider surgery for a herniated disc in your lower back area.
Your Quality of Life Is Significantly Affected
The level of pain experienced is one of the factors used to determine if surgery is the best option for a herniated disc. Think of it in terms of how your quality of life is affected. Consider how well you are able to do any of the following tasks in relation to the discomfort from the damaged disc:
• Work-related tasks and responsibilities
• Your preferred activities
• Your daily routines
• Anything involving mobility and movement
• Sleep soundly through the night
Nearby Areas Are Affected
Back surgery for a herniated disc is also something to consider if the pressure on the nerve is affecting nearby areas. If we're talking about the lower back, you may notice numbness, tingling sensations, and general muscle weakness extending to your buttocks, thighs, and legs. If these radiating symptoms are making it extremely difficult to walk, sit, stand, and sleep, surgery could provide welcome relief.
Other Treatments Aren't Helping Much
As mentioned above, surgery often becomes an option if other treatments aren't effective. For a herniated disc, conservative treatments often include physical therapy, steroid injections, medication, and possibly alternative treatments such as acupuncture or chiropractic adjustments. If any of the nonsurgical remedies or pain management solutions you've tried are failing to help you, surgery is worth discussing.
You Want to Get Back to a More Active Routine
For some people with herniated discs, being able to get through daily routines without significant pain is all that's preferred. However, if you have a more active lifestyle, it could be difficult to be as active as you want to be with a disc that limits some of your movements and abilities. In this instance, surgery could make it easier to be more active without being sidetracked by pain or nerve-related symptoms.
Symptoms Are Severe & Potentially Life-Threatening
In some situations, a lumbar herniated disc can affect nerves that control bowel and bladder functions. If this is what you're experiencing, surgery is typically fast-tracked. This also applies if your symptoms are extremely disruptive or debilitating.
What to Expect with Surgery for a Herniated Disc
Discussing back surgery for a herniated disc simply gives you the details specific to your situation you'll need to make a more informed decision. With disc-related back surgery procedures, it's common for less invasive techniques to be used today. This often contributes to a faster recovery period. With any type of back surgery, post-surgery physical therapy is usually recommended as you recover and ease back into your preferred routine.
If you have a herniated disc that isn't responding to conservative treatment, a discectomy may be the best option. Although this is generally a very successful procedure, having a large hole in the outer ring of the disc more than doubles the risk of needing another operation. A new treatment, Barricaid, closes this hole, 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 microdiscectomy—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, ask your doctor or contact us at 844-288-7474.
For full benefit/risk information, please visit: https://www.barricaid.com/instructions.