Back pains are as common as headaches. Most back pains disappear on their own with some rest and / or medication. Some may stay longer but can still be managed with conventional treatments of medication, therapy and back building exercises. But, there are a few types of back pain that are so chronic that they render the person disabled. Such chronic conditions necessitate surgery so as to improve the person’s condition.

There are different reasons that cause backaches. In this article we take a look into conditions caused by compression of the structures that form the spinal column, and the surgical solutions to these spine problems .

Conditions associated with spinal compression are: disc herniation, sciatica, spinal stenosis and spondylolisthesis. To relieve pressure on one or many pinched nerves of the spinal column caused by the compression, spinal decompression surgery in its different forms - discectomy, laminectomy and foraminotomy - is employed. Let us start with a description of each of these conditions followed by an understanding of the surgical options.

CONDITIONS

Disc herniation: Discs or disks are pads of cartilage between two adjacent vertebrae (i.e. spinal bones) that separate the vertebrae and provide cushioning to them. When the disc herniates (moves out of place), the soft gel inside pushes through the wall of the disc putting pressure on the spinal cord and nerves that are coming out of the spinal column thereby resulting in a severely painful condition. Disc herniation can occur in any disc in the spine - cervical (neck), thoracic (upper back) or lumbar (lower back) region. Disc herniations occur especially in jobs that require lifting, but can also occur from jobs that require constant sitting.

Sciatica: Sciatica refers to pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in the leg caused by injury to or compression of the sciatic nerve located in the back of the leg. Sciatica is a symptom of another medical problem, not a medical condition on its own. The sciatic nerve controls the muscles of the back of the knee and lower leg and provides sensation to the back of the thigh, part of the lower leg and the sole of the foot. Sciatica may be caused by degenerative disc disease (DDD), pelvic injury or fracture, piriformis syndrome (a pain disorder involving the narrow piriformis muscle in the buttocks), slipped disk, spinal stenosis, tumors, etc.