Spinal Surgery
Without the support and structure of our spine, we would not be able to stand or even hold ourselves in an upright position. Your spine is one of the most important parts of the body and therefore spinal surgery may be key if problems arise in this area.
The spine is made up of individual bones all on top of one another, connected by ligaments and muscles. Not only does your spine provide main support for the body, but it also protects the spinal cord, which is connected to the brain and allows you to control movements throughout your entire body. Damage to the spine/spinal cord may leave you unable to control your movements and in affect, will mean you are paralysed.
It is therefore of upmost importance to maintain a healthy spine and avoid damage/injury to the area at all costs.
In cases where you do experience problems in the spinal area, then you may require surgery. Here at North Downs hospital in Surrey we treat a range of spinal problems.
The different variations of spinal surgery that we offer:
Lumbar Discectomy
If you suffer severe back pain then it may be that you have either a bulging, herniated or a slipped disc pressing on a nerve root or spinal disc.
During a discectomy operation, your surgeon will remove the bulging/slipped disc to relieve the pressure on your spinal nerves.
Read more about lumbar discectomy
Spinal Decompression
Pain/discomfort in the spinal area will often be initially treated with non-surgical methods, however this is not always successful. Lumbar decompression is performed on many spinal problems – for example, a slipped disc, fracture or swelling, spinal stenosis (narrowing spinal canal) and more.
Spinal decompression surgery is often carried out under general anaesthetic and your surgeon will make an incision in your lower back to relieve the trapped nerves by removing some bone and tissue.
This should therefore reduce pain in the lower back and legs.
Read more about spinal decompression
Spinal Fusion
Spinal fusion is commonly performed on a fractured vertebra, to treat instability, disc herniations and to correct deformity in the spine.
The procedure involves stopping the motion in a painful vertebral segment by fusing one or more vertebrae in the spine together therefore reducing pain in that area.
The bones are not instantly fused together in surgery, instead, a bone graft is added to the segment of the spine, which in time will allow the area to grow and fuse together.
At North Downs you can feel confident that our surgeons can give you the specialist advise and guidance you need to help you make an informed decision on the most suitable treatment for your spine.
Our Consultants
We are very proud to be working alongside some excellent orthopaedic consultants who are highly respected in their speciality and come highly recommended by previous patients. All of our consultants go through regular validation to ensure that they work to the highest possible standards and remain up to date with current practice.
