Many spine patients today can benefit from minimally invasive microdiscectomies. If this applies to you, there may be some questions that come to mind as you get ready for your spinal disc surgery. One of the most common questions is whether muscles may need to be cut during the procedure. The short answer is “no.” This article explores this topic further below.
Muscles Are Pushed Aside
While there is no need to cut spinal muscles in the area where the problem disc is located, there is a need to at least move some of them out of the way. This is often necessary to gain safe access to the herniated disc. It is a task accomplished with special tools used during the microdiscectomy.
What to Expect when Spinal Muscles Are Moved
Because spinal muscles are not cut during a microdiscectomy, you are not likely to experience any significant discomfort. The reason is because the muscles are pushed aside instead. This means it is easier for tissues to heal during the initial recovery period. You may still experience some degree of discomfort post-surgery, but this is perfectly normal.
What Happens to Spinal Muscles during a Microdiscectomy?
A small incision is made to access the affected part of the spine. This is done by lifting the muscles off a bony structure called the lamina. The spinal muscles that need to be moved are vertical, which makes it easier to push the affected soft tissues aside. There may be a need to remove certain membranes, one of which is the ligamentum flavum—a membrane that covers nerve roots. There may also be a need to remove part of a spinal joint called a facet joint.
How Preserving Spinal Muscles Is Beneficial
In addition to minimizing initial discomfort as you are healing and recovering, not cutting spinal muscles significantly reduces the risk of damage to the muscles during the surgery, which could result in permanent nerve damage.
Furthermore, preserving spinal muscles may improve your ability to respond well to post-surgery physical therapy. Your back surgery recovery time may be shorter, and you may also be able to return to work sooner, since there is no need for prolonged tissue healing. Additionally, you may be able to sleep better, which also helps with post-surgery healing.
Regaining Spinal Muscle Strength Post-Surgery
Even though spinal muscles are preserved, there is still a need to regain spinal muscle strength post-surgery. Participating in physical therapy is one of the most common ways to regain spinal muscle strength. It is also helpful to eat healthy as you heal to provide the added nutrients muscle tissues need to heal and recover. Also, use hot and cold applications if you experience any pain flare-ups as muscle tissues heal. Lastly, check in with your doctor or physical therapist as you return to normal activities so you are not overstressing healing spinal muscles.
Although microdiscectomy surgery is generally a very successful procedure, a hole is left in the outer wall of the disc. In fact, patients with these large holes in their discs are more than twice as likely to reinjure themselves by having what is known as a reherniation. These reherniations often require additional surgery or even fusions. Fortunately, there is 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 reherniations, and 95 percent of Barricaid patients did not 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 does not 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.
Comments