If you find yourself encumbered by persistent pain in your lower spine or lumbar region, a minimally invasive surgical procedure known as a foraminotomy can be used to relieve the pressure on the compressed nerves in your spinal column. This is a highly effective procedure that doesn’t sideline patients with an extensive hospitalization.
You heard that right, a foraminotomy can help you get back to doing the things you love without being limited by back pain. Best of all, individuals undergoing this surgery can typically avoid an overnight stay and walk out of surgery on their own accord.
Why Do Some People Need Foraminotomy Surgery?
Your spinal column is constructed from a series of bones called vertebrae. Your vertebrae are connected in a way that boosts flexibility, with intervertebral discs sitting above and below each segment for reinforcement. But your spinal cord does more than allow you bend over and touch your toes! It serves as a veritable information highway facilitating safe passage of vital commands from your body to your brain.
Nerves play an integral role in this process. They extend outward from the spinal column through the intervertebral foramen located between the vertebrae. The relationship between these nerves and the intervertebral foramen from which they spread is the underlying cause of the type of back pain that often requires a foraminotomy.
The intervertebral foramen are like small holes that allow signals from the brain to travel beyond the spinal column via your nerves. When these holes become too small, these nerves compress, resulting in pain and weakness. This is referred to as spinal stenosis, and it can be caused by a wide range of conditions, including:
- Degenerative arthritis of the spine, or spondylosis, which can lead to bone spurs
- Degeneration of the intervertebral discs, which can result in them pushing into the foramen
- Expansion of connecting ligaments
- Spondylolisthesis
- Cysts or tumors
- Skeletal disease (i.e., Paget disease)
- Congenital problems (i.e., dwarfism)
The effects can be felt in your arms, legs, hands, and more, but the root of the problem is your spinal column. It’s also worth noting that Individuals suffering from neck pain as a result of cervical spine disease can also get relief from a type of foraminotomy known as a posterior cervical foraminotomy.
How Is Foraminotomy Surgery Performed?
Fortunately, a foraminotomy is a minimally invasive procedure requiring little more than a 2-5 mm incision. Here’s how it works:
- You will receive medicine to put you to sleep.
- You will be positioned face down during the procedure, allowing your surgeon to work on your spine without any obstructions.
- Your surgeon makes a small incision on your back to reveal the problematic vertebra.
- A video x-ray device called a “fluoroscope” is used to push a guide pin into your vertebra.
- A series of tubes is placed over the guide pin, creating a channel that protects your soft tissues.
- An opening is created in the lamina, a segment of bone located at the rear of the vertebra.
- Small surgical instruments are passed through the opening and into the foramen.
- Your surgeon clears away any bone (i.e., bone spur, bulging disc) that is pressing against your nerves, widening the intervertebral foramen and removing any blockages to relieve your back pain.
Are There Risks To This Surgery?
For most patients, a foraminotomy is a relatively routine procedure with a strikingly high success rate. Nevertheless, on rare occasions, complications can arise. Infection, excessive blood loss, nerve damage, spinal cord damage, stroke, and complications relating to anesthesia have occurred in the past.
Besides the aforementioned risks, the only other notable risk is a lack of relief post-surgery. The success of this procedure can be affected by a host of factors including the patient’s age, the location of the intervertebral foramen, the type of foraminotomy required, and other existing medical conditions. Your medical provider can help you decide whether or not you are the right candidate for a foraminotomy surgery.
Hopefully you are! Because this minimally invasive procedure has been proven to provide much-needed relief to those whose back pain has limited their ability to spend time taking part in meaningful activities with friends and family.
Why you should get Foraminotomy Surgery
Foraminotomy Surgery has become an essential procedure for individuals experiencing nerve compression and its debilitating symptoms, such as chronic pain, tingling, or numbness. This surgery specifically addresses the foramina, the bony openings in the spine where nerve roots exit, by enlarging them to relieve the nerve root compression. Opting for Foraminotomy offers multiple benefits. Firstly, it’s a minimally invasive technique, which translates to shorter hospital stays and quicker recoveries for patients. Moreover, unlike some other spinal surgeries, Foraminotomy maintains the spine’s structural integrity and natural movement. The procedure has a commendable success rate, with many patients reporting significant symptom relief and a rapid return to daily activities. When conservative treatments don’t provide relief, Foraminotomy Surgery stands as a proven and effective method to directly address the root cause of nerve compression, paving the way for a pain-free and active life.
How To Prepare For Foraminotomy Surgery?
Before you lay down on the operating table, you’ll have to prepare yourself for a successful surgery. Talk to your medical provider about what you should be doing in the days leading up to your surgery. You may be required to stop taking certain medicines, such as blood thinners, to avoid complications. Like most surgical procedures, you’ll need to fast the night before surgery — no food or drink after midnight. Depending on the particulars of your situation, you may also be required to submit additional imaging tests (i.e., an MRI) so your medical provider has accurate information relating to your spinal column and nerves.
What To Expect After Surgery?
Once your minimally invasive surgery has been completed, your surgeon will remove their tools and close the incision. Your surgeon may also opt to perform an additional procedure, like a laminectomy, if they deem it necessary for a full recovery. Once you’re all sewed up, you should be able to walk out of the facility on your own. In most cases, patients can resume normal activity within days, with a complete recovery taking no longer than six weeks. You can expect some mild pain following surgery, but nothing to write home about.
You’ll still need to take it easy on your back until you’re fully recovered so as to not re-aggravate it. Listen to your medical provider’s instructions and follow them to a T, especially when it comes to medicine, physical activity, and caring for your wound. You’ll be feeling one-hundred percent better in no time! You’ll be amazed at how effective this treatment is.
