Lumbar Decompression Surgery
The goal of a decompression surgery is usually to relieve pain caused by nerve root pinching.
There are two common causes of lumbar nerve root pressure:
– Lumbar Herniated Disc
– Lumbar Spinal Stenosis.
This type of pain is usually referred to as a radiculopathy, or sciatica.
A decompression surgery involves removing a small portion of the bone over the nerve root and/or disc material from under the nerve root to relieve pinching of the nerve and provide more room for the nerve to heal. The most common types of decompression surgery are microdiscectomy and laminectomy.
There are also a few alternatives available to the above two standard procedures, such as an X-STOP which is a possible option instead of a laminectomy for lumbar spinal stenosis.
