The most common surgery for degenerative disc disease (DDD) is lumbar spinal fusion, where two or more vertebrae are permanently joined to stop painful motion, often after removing the damaged disc (discectomy) and stabilizing with grafts/hardware. While fusion is standard, other options like artificial disc replacement (ADR) or decompression surgery (discectomy/laminectomy) are used, but fusion has long been considered the gold standard for stabilizing the spine and relieving nerve pressure, though ADR aims to preserve motion.
If a disc has degenerated or slipped to a large extent, or if the surrounding vertebrae and joints can no longer support that part of the spine, doctors may recommend spinal fusion with discectomy. This combination tends to be required on the neck more often than on the lower back.
Degenerative Disc Disease: As discs deteriorate with age, pain and inflammation may contribute to feelings of nausea.
Associated Symptoms: Mild swelling or bruising may occur, and muscle spasms can develop as part of the body's protective response.
The risks of degenerative disc disease surgery include nerve damage, worsened pain, numbness, paralysis, lung collapse, and deep vein thrombosis. The risks for complications become more significant if two procedures are carried out in conjunction, such as discectomy and fusion.
If your symptoms have become life-altering and unremitting, and if conservative treatments like steroid injections, physical therapy, over-the-counter pain medications, and electrical stimulation treatment haven't been successful, Dr. Cohen discusses a surgical solution with you.
For symptoms that have lasted at least 6 weeks and that make it hard to do your normal activities, surgery is an option when other treatments haven't helped. Over the long term, surgery and non-surgical treatments work about the same to reduce pain and other symptoms.
Seeking Medical Care for Herniated Discs
Emergency departments are equipped to handle acute symptoms and can facilitate urgent imaging and consultation with a spine specialist. For non-emergency symptoms, scheduling an appointment with a spine specialist can provide the necessary evaluation and treatment plan.
Seek emergency medical attention if you have: Worsening symptoms. Pain, numbness or weakness can increase to the point that they hamper your daily activities. Bladder or bowel dysfunction.
Yes, it is possible to become paralyzed from degenerative disc disease, but unlikely. In cauda equina syndrome, for example, a severe lumbar disc herniation causes saddle anesthesia, mobility issues, and urinary and fecal incontinence. If left untreated, it can cause permanent paralysis.
Discogenic pain usually causes pain felt in the lower back. It may also feel like the pain is coming from your buttock areas and even down into the upper thighs. The experience of feeling pain in an area away from the real spot causing the pain is common in many areas of the body, not just the spine.
Most people don't need surgery for degenerative disk disease. But if you've tried multiple nonsurgical treatments and have persistent pain and/or weakness, surgery may be a good option.
Neurosurgeons provide thorough diagnosis and treatment for degenerative disc disease in older adults. They also use advanced tools like MRI scans, CT scans, and X-rays. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, these tests are vital to pinpoint the exact problem and its severity.
A herniated disk is the main reason people get a diskectomy. But not everyone with a herniated disk needs the surgery. Most people with this condition — about 60% to 90% — recover well from nonsurgical treatment, like NSAIDs, epidural steroid injections and physical therapy.
Patients should understand that, in cases of traumatic injury (a fracture or loss of function due to spinal cord injury) and in situations where a patient is losing the ability to use an arm or a leg, surgery is often needed on an urgent (soon) or emergent (immediate) basis.
Diagnostic Tests and Evaluations in the ER
X-ray to identify breaks, fractures, or arthritis. MRI or CT scans to identify soft tissue damage (e.g., discs, muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, and spinal cord). Blood tests to identify possible infections or other conditions.
When the lumbar disc herniation is in an acute or semi-acute phase, the inflammation of the sciatic nerve is likely to become so disabling that the person cannot walk, and even standing becomes quite painful. If this sounds like your situation, we recommend rest until the inflammation subsides.
numbness or tingling in your shoulders, back, arms, hands, legs or feet. neck pain. problems bending or straightening your back. muscle weakness.
Top 10 Signs You Might Need Surgery
If nonsurgical options — physical therapy, medication, or injections — fail to control your cervical disc herniation symptoms, or if you develop serious issues such as progressive weakness, significant numbness, loss of function in your arm, or signs of spinal cord compression, surgery performed by a neurosurgeon who ...
Spinal surgery happens at and around sensitive areas in the spine and spinal cord. The most significant risks you could face if an error occurs during surgery include paralysis or a spinal infection. Despite the possibility of severe complications, the mortality rate for spinal surgeries is low.
Robert Liston's most notorious surgery yielded 300% mortality. The patient, the surgical assistant, and a family member bystander, each of whom felt the blade of Dr. Liston's slashing amputation knife, died of gangrene in the days following.
Spinal fusion and total joint replacements are among the most painful surgeries. Major abdominal surgeries are known for intense post-operative pain. Liv Hospital offers advanced protocols and dedicated patient care. Understanding the recovery challenges is key for patients.
The medical name for the procedure is cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) or CRS/HIPEC.