Spinal Disorders & Treatment
This site sets out to inform you about:
- The nature of your spinal disorder, (stenosis, slipped disc, disc protrusion, disc inflammation, HIZ, Radial tears, osteophytosis, scarring around nerves, perineural scarring,instability)
- The aware state means of finding your pain source and arriving at a diagnosis,
- The available minimal invasive spinal surgery techniques of treating your back pain or neck pain and their radiating symptoms and their indications, outcomes, complications. (See specific pages).
- The conventional methods of treating your back pain or neck pain and their radiating symptoms (Microdiscectomy, Decompression, Fusion, Total Disc replacement and their indications, outcomes, complications). (See specific pages).
- The site also introduces you to the work of the Charity
- FAQs frequently asked questions,
- A search engine to get you specific data more quickly
- A glossary for those awkward terms that Doctors will slip in to the conversation.
Do not believe that because you have been told to "live with the pain" that this is necessarily true. Please explore this site to see what options may be available to you but unknown to your doctor. The mainstays of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery are the versatile lumbar Endoscopic Laser Decompression & Foraminoplasty (ELD) and the cervical Endoscopic Intradiscal Discectomy (CEID).
These particular operations are currently only available at the Spinal Foundation in the UK but are available in a rapidly growing number of centres around the world.
Endoscopic Laser Decompression & Foraminoplasty (ELD)
This procedure has been developed initially as Endoscopic Laser Foraminoplasty and with the advent of improved instrumentation in to Endoscopic Laser Decompression & Foraminoplasty to deal with the sources of chronic back, buttock and leg pain. ELF is also an appropriate procedure for patients with herniated, prolapsed, bulging discs as well as patients who have discs where the nucleus has leaked out (extruded) or sequestrated discs. Age is not a factor that would exclude a patient from treatment with this technique. It can be used to treat patients with advanced multi-level degeneration and settlement, vertebral body displacement, spontaneous or post operative scarring. It is not indicated where a patient is pregnant or where there is a central bony stenosis.
Cervical Endoscopic Intradiscal Discectomy (CEID)
In the neck the anterior approach is used to perform Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. This technique can be used for soft slipped discs, disc extrusions, partially calcified disc protrusions and associated osteophytes. Thus it can be used to treat Degenerative Disc Disease, modest Lateral Recess Stenosis, Radial Tears, leaks and High Intensity Zones as well as disc protrusions.
Aware State Surgery
ELF is performed under local anaesthesia. This means that you will be awake when it is done but you will be sedated and protected by powerful intravenous pain relieving drugs. This means that whilst the surgeon is working close to the spinal cord and the nerves coming out of the cord you will be able to tell him if you experience any discomfort. This provides him with your feedback on the exact location of the source of your pain. It also gives you, the patient and the surgeon who is operating, a very good safety mechanism because you will be able to let him know if he is working too close to any of the nerves in your spine. Having the procedure performed under this type of anaesthetic and sedation will also mean that you will be able to go home very quickly afterwards. An overnight stay is usually required although the procedure can be performed as a day case.
The Procedure, Patient Selection, Recovery and Success Rates of the specific forms of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery and traditional surgery in the cervical and lumbar spines are laid out in their respective pages on this site which you can reach by the Draw-down menus or the Search Engine.