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| Laminectomy And Laminotomy |
| Planning for Low Back Surgery |
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Having a low back problem can be frustrating. You may have pain when you sit or stand or walk. Merely lifting a basket of laundry may cause pain to shoot down your leg. But you don't have to live this way. Your doctor may have told you that either a laminotomy or a laminectomy is likely to reduce your pain. To better understand these procedures, read through this booklet. It can help you prepare for surgery. You'll also find ways to make recovery go more smoothly. |
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| When You Have Pain |
Your back problem may be due to a sudden injury. Or aging and the wear and tear of constant use may have caused changes in your spine. When pain puts limits on your life and other treatments don't help, surgery may offer the best relief. |
| Surgery Can Help |
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Laminotomy and laminectomy are surgeries that remove a small amount of bone from the spine. This takes pressure off nerves in the low back, which greatly reduces symptoms. These surgeries are not cure-alls, but they are especially good at reducing leg pain. |
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| How You Benefit |
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Most people feel better soon after their surgery. Many feel almost back to normal within 1 to 3 months. Having a laminotomy or a laminectomy almost always does the following: |
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Reduces pain. Even the pain from surgery should be gone within weeks. |
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Relieves leg pain from the hip down to the foot. |
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Allows leg strength to improve. As the pain lessens, you'll be able to use your legs more. This rebuilds muscles. |
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Reduces numbness in the affected leg. |
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Improves quality of life. After surgery, you should be able to move with greater ease. Many people return to tasks and sports they did before their back problems started. |
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| Learning About Your Low Back |
When it is healthy, the low back allows you to bend and stretch without pain. But if your low back problem pinches a nerve, you may have pain, tingling, or numbness all the way down your leg. Sometimes merely standing or sitting causes symptoms. |
| A Healthy Spinal Column |
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The spinal column is a stack of bones (vertebrae) that are separated by soft pads of tissue (disks). Each of these bones has a canal that runs top to bottom. Together these canals form a tunnel called the spinal canal. Running through this canal are nerves. These nerves carry signals between the brain and body. When a spinal column is healthy, the following parts fit together without pressing on the nerves:
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| Top view of a vertebra and a disk |
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Vertebrae are the bones that make up the spine.
The lamina of each vertebra forms the back of the spinal canal.
A foramen is a small opening. This is where a nerve leaves the spinal canal. |
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Disks serve as cushions between vertebrae. A disk's soft center absorbs shock during movement. This allows each vertebra to rock back and forth and side to side, so the body can move freely |
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| When a Back Problem
Pinches a Nerve |
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The symptoms in your back or leg may be due to pressure on a nerve. This pressure may be caused by a damaged disk or by abnormal bone growth. Either way, you may feel pain, burning, tingling, or numbness. If you have pressure on a nerve that connects to the sciatic nerve, pain may shoot down your leg.
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| Pressure from the Disk |
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Constant wear and tear can weaken a disk over time. The disk can then be damaged by a sudden movement or injury. If its soft center begins to bulge, the disk may press on a nerve. Or the outside of the disk may tear, and the soft center may squeeze through and pinch a nerve.
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| Pressure from Bone |
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As a disk wears out, the vertebrae right above and below the disk begin to touch. This can put pressure on a nerve. Often abnormal bone (called bone spurs) grows where the vertebrae rub against each other. This can cause the foramen or the spinal canal to narrow (called stenosis) and press against a nerve.
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