Four parts of the spine and spine surgery

The spine is what provides flexibility and mobility, also allowing for people to turn their neck to see what is behind them. The spine also separates humans from other mammals providing humans with extensive freedom to move about. The small bones which attach the head to the neck and body are what provide such freedom of mobility. Theses small bones are called the cervical vertebrates which are highly important because these bones encase the spinal cord and if damaged the brain and body can shut down. These bones which attach the head are a source that saves lives and to understand the different back pains and injuries which can occur one must understand the spine.

Los Angeles Spine experts say there are four critical parts of the spine: thoracic, lumbar and sacral regions. Each of these regions affects a different part of the body. The cervical region affects the entire body as well as the head and neck. The purpose of the cervical spine is to contain and protect the spinal cord, support the scull and make the head moveable. The ligaments in the cervical spine work to prevent excessive movement which can cause serious painful injury that can often lead to Los Angeles spine surgery. The thoracic affects the truck of the body and the lumbar the lower parts of the body. The thoracic spine starts from the base of the neck and end at the bottom of the rig cage. If one understands the thoracic spine and how it works they can end all of their back pain. The thoracic spine is generally what most people hurt and care for their spine begins here, with learning how to lift, bend and play sports properly using their backs. Although the thoracic spine is not the most critical area of the spine if hurt or damaged it can also cause severe pain, and lead to surgery when no other reliever is found. The thoracic spine consists of: bones, joints, nerves, connective tissue, muscles, and spinal segment. Generally when people feel back pain in this area it is from dangerous movement and this does not usually require surgery.

Los Angeles Spine surgeon say not all back pain requires spine surgery. For such things like budging disk there are several other treatments that do not include spine surgery but instead ibuprofen or aspirin to subside the pain. In other instances for example serious broken bones are in the cervical area and that may call for immediate Los Angeles Spinal surgery. Other trauma and arthritis can cause damage to the vertebrates other times the damage will press on the bundle of nerves which are the pathways to the brain and out. If this happens major surgery may have to be performed depending on the severity of the pressure and if regular cervical spine surgery can be performed or not.

Spine surgery and undiagnosed back pain

Spinal surgery is meant for those patients who have yet to find relief in alternative methods. To qualify for spinal surgery one must a have an identifiable problem. Some people have back pain for no reasons that x-rays can see or test can prove for those people Spinal surgery Los Angeles is not an option because there is no telling for certain whether there is an anatomical legion, and a surgeon should not open up the back blindly because it places to many risk and has no guarantee for reward. Besides the unsafe conditions of opening up a patient without a diagnosis most patients who do have diagnoses fear whether Spine surgery Los Angeles is safe or not. Spinal surgery has become safer for different types of patients throughout the years but for those who have undiagnosed back pain alternative methods such as acupuncture has shown great improvements in pain relief.

Although a hurting/damaged spine is fragile, risk run high and there is no room for error spine surgery is now safer than it has ever been in the past. Traditional spine surgeries do still exists but are done rarely and only for major back surgery. Because of the advances in technology and medicine, procedures which were once done with great fear can now be done through tiny incision. Less invasive spine surgery is performed often even though it is more costly than traditional spine surgery. Less invasive surgery involves the use of tiny incision and tiny medical instruments which are moved and navigated through to fix the problem using a tiny video camera that magnifies the area and direction in which it is located making it very easy for the surgeon to see what is happening on the other end. Because the back is not opened for such surgeries bruising and pain lessen which makes the recovery time extremely shorter. Those who need major spinal surgery are not candidate for this minimally invasive procedure however if the patient has been diagnosed with scoliosis, herniated disks or require spinal fusion caused by degenerative disk.

Leading Spine surgeon Los Angeles say that after less invasive spine surgery most patients are out on their feet speedily. Spine expert Los Angeles suggest walking around the hospital a few weeks after surgery to make sure that the spine legs and everything is functioning correctly and getting the spine use to movement in order to speed up the recovery process. But this was very different with traditional spine surgery which sometimes meant an entire year of bed rest. The spine is very fragile and to protect it one should always stretch before doing any exercise and experts suggest stretching daily regardless of exercise. If one has back pain that can not be diagnosed they should see a chiropractor and get involved in acupuncture which has been proven to do great things in back pain patients.

Sciatica overview

Inflammation of the sciatic nerve can be very painful and bothersome but for some lucky patients this pain can be kept under control with medication but for others the best and only way to stop the pain is by having Los Angeles spine surgery. The sciatic nerve sends signals about movements to the legs and about sensation to the brain. The sciatic nerve is also the largest peripheral nerve in the body. The sciatic nerve is formed at the lower part of the spinal cord and made up of the lumbar and nerve roots from the spine. The sciatic nerve is positioned at the lower end of the spinal cord passes behind the hip joint, and runs down the back of the thigh.

The sciatic nerve is there to perform the two functions mentioned above: Send signals to the muscles from the brain, and collect sensory information from the legs back to the brain. For a person with sciatica condition is that the affect of the nerve will alter one or both of these functions by causing weakness in the leg muscles and pain in the legs, thighs or both and even the hips. Sciatica can be cured with Los Angeles back pain surgery but it is left to the patient to decide whether he or she can live with the symptoms with include:

• Bowel or bladder dysfunction (generally occurs with spinal cord compression)
• Spinal stenosis
• Neuroloic dysfunction including severe weakness
• Extreme pain

These symptoms are all reasons to have Sciatica surgery Los Angeles leading surgeons say, because sciatica is generally caused by a herniated spinal disk the pain is likely to linger and most patients find the greatest relief through surgery. a herniated disk is when the cushion between the vertebra of the spine ruptures. The ruptures causes disc to push in to areas where the nerve usually reside. The nerves are then compressed causing different pain levels, weakness, and numbness.

There are four most common types of Los Angeles Spinal surgery to relieve patients of sciatica pain.

· Discectomy- in this procedure the surgeon removes all or part of the herniated disk pushing on the sciatic nerve causing the sciatic symptoms

· Microdiscectomy- this procedure entails the same as the one above but is minimally invasive. The surgeon makes tiny incisions and uses a microscopic magnification to work inside the body and never cut the patient open. Because this procedure is minimally invasive healing quicken and the recovery time is much shorter.

· Laminectomy- removes the entire lamina

· Laminotomy- Removes part of the lamina both of these procedures create more space for the nerves preventing compression or pinching.

Recovery from sciatica requires that the patient be on medication from two to four weeks, but he or she may be out of bed within twenty-four hours. One must be taught how to sit, rise and stand and he or she may not do so for a while without help. Sports maybe avoided for quite a while with minimal twisting or moving the spine.

Proper steps to healing from back surgery

Spinal surgery is surgery which is done on the neck or spine in order to stabilize the spine and or fix a slipped disc and relieve pain. Spinal surgery consists of several which include bone graft, disc removal and stabilizing the spine with wires. The goal for spine surgery is to keep the vertebrae from dislocating and damaging the spinal cord and nerves. Spinal surgery is serious, and when not healed properly can be very painful and affect every day activities such as walking, sitting, and standing. Because the spine is fragile after surgery and be damaged easily it is essential for those undergoing the surgery to know the steps to recovery.

In Many places around the world including Los Angeles back pain surgery can be done several ways including a minimally invasive ways which decrease hospital stay time and even recovery time, but for most Spinal surgery Glendale leading spine surgeons require a hospital stay of at least two weeks which can be more depending on the complexity of the surgery. After spine surgery the patient will not be able to get in and out of bed on their own, so the family or friends should be present as the patient is being released from the hospital. During the hospital stay the surgeon or physical therapist will give the patient a set of reclining exercise that should be done three to four times a day. These exercises are prescribed to keep circulation in the legs as normal as possible during the recovery period. No movement increases the risk of postoperative complications, so although no strenuous activity is allowed following through with the exercises slowly and walking around the hospital room is advised.

Most patients when discharged from the hospital are discharged with a neck or back brace and will need assistance in removing either of these for showering and/or bathing. After having spine surgery Los Angeles spine surgeons tell their patients not to resume with any physical activity under no circumstances unless the surgeon gave a go ahead. The patient is not to lift weights or any other heavy objects. Lifting anything over the head and twisting exercises can cause great damage to the spine.

Los Angels Spine surgeons do: however, slow walking after surgery. Walking helps the spine to settle in its natural position and become more flexible over time. For patients who had bone graft this is especially important because too little walking for any patient can cause the spine to become rigid. Be concerned if anything feels uncomfortable or painful, and observant to how your spine and overall back respond to activity. Also, take note of any other medications that have been taken prior to surgery and are not for the back because some might interfere with pain relievers and the healing process. The stitches or staples will fall off on their own after due time, but if any fall off immediately after being released call the doctor. The healing process for spinal surgery will be painful and take about two months, but if you follow all the proper steps healing will be speedy and worth all of the precautions.

Golfing and the Lumbar spine

Back injuries are common for athletes of all kinds, but golfers are prone to back injury because golfing asks for an enormous amount of torque. Leading spine surgeon Los Angels say professional golfers are not the only golfers at risk for these injuries anyone who golf’s is it at risk of a lumbar back injury. Golfing begins with a back swing and then move through the follow through. The twisted area of back pressures the lumbar spine repeatedly. As a result of reoccurring pressure on the lumbar spine and twisting of the back golfers generally experience a variety of back injuries.

most common back surgeries for golfers are lumbar spine discectomy and lumbar fusion. A lumbar spine discectomy has to be performed when the golfer has a herniated disc. When herniation occurs a fragment of the normal spinal disc is dislodged, and the fragment presses against the spinal cord or the nerves that surround that spinal cord. A herniated disc can be very painful and cause numbness and tingling that can shoot down to the legs. The discectomy removes the fragment of the herniated disc releasing the pressure in that area. In order to perform a lumbar fusion the condition must be so extreme vertebrates have become unstable. With lumbar fusion, surgery places bone graft or synthetic connectors to connect the problematic vertebrate and the body fuses them together over an extended period of time. Golfers generally become impatient and diligent about getting back to golf but leading Los Angeles spine surgeons say taking the corrects steps to spinal surgery recovery is crucial.

Lumbar discectomy and lumbar fusion have very different recovery periods and therefore have different wait times before being able to get back to regular activity and a bit longer to be able to get back to golf. With any Spine surgery Los Angeles leading spine surgery say twisting the back must be put off till surgeons are certain of full recovery. A discectomy has a much shorter recovery time compared to lumbar fusion. A discectomy requires about six weeks of healing when lumbar fusion requires about six months for the site to heal. For both recovery periods twisting will be limited in fear of injuring the site. Although six weeks or six months maybe the recovery time for the site to heal it is not the time is which a golfer can get back out on the field. Because when healing from any spinal surgery Los Angeles movement must be monitored in order to get back to golfing the time must double and sometimes even triple. After 12 weeks of healing from discectomy and 16 months of healing from Lumbar fusion then the patient will be allowed back to golfing but not playing full games unless very little to no pain is felt.

Such back injuries are so common for golfers because generally golfers do not stretch. Stretching is the best prevention medicine for back injuries. Warming up all the muscles makes the body more flexible and less prone to pain. The back becomes more flexible and then less pressure is applied when twisting.

How to sleep after spine surgery

The discomfort and pain of cervical spine surgery leaves its patients without the ability to sleep throughout the entire night. Short intervals of sleep after spine surgery are to be expected due to the neck brace and other sleeping accommodation which must be made in order to protect the back from further damage. In Los Angeles spine surgery is usually as a last resort for those patients who have severe back pain and nothing else seems to subside the pain. Spine surgery is usually avoided till the end because of the risk and the down time. The down time for every back surgery varies and the pain can be minimal if the procedure was that of minimally invasive back surgery Los Angeles back surgeons give those who have recently undergone back surgery a few tips on how to sleep after having spine surgery.

After having spine surgery Los Angeles pine surgeons say it’s essential that the patient takes wearing the neck or back brace very seriously. Place the cervical collar around the neck; it must be secure but not too tight where it constricts breathing. The brace should constrict neck movement to protect the area in which surgery was done.

Do not try to get in bed alone, the strength used to get in the bed come from the back and that will over exert the back and possibly injure the site once more. Sit at the edge of the bed and lie down slowly using the other persons help to lay straight down. Pivot from a sitting a sitting position, the upper body must be perpendicular to the bed rotate the buttocks and bring the legs up onto the bed.

If the patient must get out of bed at night he or she should do so in a log roll position. The log roll position consists of the hips, shoulders and neck all turn at the same time keeping the spine straight. This should also not be attempted alone because the back is still very fragile and the pain one could cause on themselves could be unbearable.

Patients generally need as incline and generally their all different levels whatever feels more comfortable to that patient. In order to keep the spinal cord in its normal position a spine surgeon Los Angeles located suggest placing a pillow beneath the knees to also eliminate the stress in the lower back

In order to help the muscles relax and the pain subside little by little take the medications as prescribed to by your doctor.

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The advance in spine surgery

Spine surgery has made significant progress every year. In the past it was extremely problematic and called for weeks in the hospital at times. Spine surgery meant almost a year of not being able to use the back (minimal moving) and extreme pain and bruising sometimes even a life time of taking pain pills to suppress the chronic pain brought on by surgery. Spine surgery has pushed forward in technique and in spinal instrumentation/implants. With the jump forward in minimally invasive spine surgery Los Angeles surgeons hope for even more improvement in the decades to come. Although minimally invasive procedures are impressing; surgeons say the most impressive and significant improvements have been better preoperative imaging techniques. These new imaging techniques have significantly improved the ability of surgeons to identify more accurately the source of pain. Leading Los Angeles Spine surgeons have suggested that MRI scans have revolutionized back surgery and neck surgery. MRI scans are the reason why they can identify such back and neck problems. Prior to having MRI scans many patients back and neck problems went unnoticed.

They key to determining the most successful spine surgery Los Angeles expert spine surgeons say is proper preoperative diagnosis. Even the most successful spinal surgery Los Angeles top spine surgeons say have very little success when wrongly diagnosed. Most spine surgeries are performed by orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons but in the past few years we are seeing surgeons devoting their time and efforts to spine surgery as a specialty. Surgeons who have completed their fellowship in spine surgery some say are to blame for this sudden increase in advancement and in interest of spine surgery. Spine surgery is generally elective, it’s used as a last resort when medications no longer suppress the pain or stop side affects of problematic disk or nerve which can include bladder or bowel problems, not being able to move the neck, difficulty walking, sharp shooting pain down back and/or knees. Generally a patient is put on medications from three to six months depending on the level of pain and symptoms. If the medications seizes to work than a surgeon may suggest in many places one being Los Angeles back pain surgery. Spine surgery is an elective choice and if too intimidated by it does not have to follow through, although one should keep in mind with these significant advances minimally invasive spine surgery guarantees less risk and a speedier recovery with very minimal scaring.