Spine Surgery

Back pain is a very common occurrence that most people experience at some point in their life. The pain can vary from mild to severe and it can begin suddenly or slowly depending on the cause. In some cases, back pain will subside in a few days, in others, some treatment is necessary. Often, non-surgical treatment is the ideal way to obtain back pain relief and there are a number of options that should be explored prior to considering surgery.

Non-surgical Treatment Options

Physical therapy

Anti-inflammatories

Steroidal injections

Electrical stimulation

Ultrasound treatment

Speak to your primary care physician to decide which treatment may be best for you. Victor Wang, MD, PhD is the medical director of Brigham and Women's Center for Pain Medicine at Milford Regional who can administer some of these treatments or you may want to begin with physical therapy at one of Milford Regional’s Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine facilities in Milford, Franklin or Northbridge.

Surgery

When non-surgical treatments are not successful in eliminating your back pain, surgery may be the best solution for you. Our Surgery Center includes eight state-of-the-art surgical suites outfitted with some of the most sophisticated surgical equipment available. Some of the surgical suites are equipped with laminar flow ventilation which provides an added layer of protection against infections during sensitive orthopedic procedures.

Many of the spine surgeries performed can be done with a minimally invasive approach. There are many benefits of minimally invasive surgery for the patient including smaller surgical scars, faster recovery, less pain, fewer complications and a shorter hospital stay. These procedures are often performed as an outpatient surgery or with a 1-2 night stay in the hospital.

Conditions Treated

Degenerative disc disease

Herniated disc

Myelopathy

Spinal cord compression

Spinal stenosis

Spondylosis

The surgical procedures currently being offered at Milford Regional include:

Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a surgical procedure in which a damaged intervertebral disc in the neck region is removed and the vertebrae above and below are fused together. Certain spine disorders, for example, herniated/degenerative disc and spinal instability, spinal stenosis, spondylosis, and myelopathy can be successfully treated with ACDF.

Spine disorders may cause nerve impingement or intrude into the space surrounding the spinal cord, resulting in neck, shoulder, or arm pain. Patients may also experience numbness, tingling, clumsiness, or weakness in the arms or hands. The goal of ACDF is to decompress the nerve root(s) and spinal cord, stabilize the neck, and relieve symptoms.

Microdiscectomy

Discectomy or microdiscectomy is one of the most common minimally invasive spine surgery procedures. The primary goal of a microdiscectomy is to take pressure off your nerves to ease pain and symptoms associated with a bulging or herniated disc.

Traditional open discectomies have long been used to remove damaged intervertebral discs and relieve pressure on nerves at the cost of a large incision and disruption of muscle tissue. Microdiscectomies have the same goal but utilize unique instruments and visualization tools that permit the surgeon to make very small cuts and reduce surgical trauma.

Laminectomy/hemilaminectomy

A laminectomy may be indicated to relieve pressure on a nerve or to get better access to other parts of your vertebrae. Spinal conditions that may be treated by a laminectomy include spinal stenosis and herniated discs.

The lamina is a bony component of your spine abutting your spinal canal. A laminectomy (the total amount elimination of the lamina) or a laminotomy (eliminating part of the lamina) may be required to relieve nerve or spinal cord squeezing caused by your lamina. During a conventional laminectomy, both of the lamina are typically removed. Hemilaminectomy, however, involves only the removal of one of the lamina.