3 Signs When Spine Surgery is Needed in Lumbar Spondylosis | Slip Disc

Lumbar Spondylosis is a medical term given to age related degenerative disease of lumbar Spine which includes degenerative changes in lumbar disc, like disc desiccation, disc bulge, osteophyte formation and arthritic changes in facet joints. Lumbar Canal Stenosis is a term given to narrowing of lumbar spinal canal leading to crowding and compression of lumbar nerve roots. Lumbar Disc Herniation or Slip Disc is used to describe displacement of lumbar disc causing pressure on nerve roots. These conditions give rise to symptoms of back ache and when there is compression of nerve roots it leads to pain radiating to lower limbs along with tingling sensation and numbness. In most of the patients these conditions are managed conservatively with medications, physiotherapy and lifestyle modifications. Usually, patients are advised to avoid lifting heavy weight more than 10 kgs, avoid forward bending, avoid squatting as these activities lead to increased pressure on lumbar disc and facet joints. A small group of patients may need surgical intervention to relieve the pressure on compressed nerve roots. These are patients with: -

1. Neuropathic pain not getting relieved by medical management

2. Motor deficit or weakness in lower limbs

3. Badder symptoms (inability to hold urine i.e. urgency or urge incontinence)

If these signs and symptoms are present, then surgery of spine is needed in order to relieve the pressure on nerves traversing through the spinal canal and reverse the weakness or regain control over urinary bladder. Spine surgery today has become much safer with the help of modern tools like C Arm Image Intensifier, operating microscope and endoscopes. Patients generally fear that they will be bedridden or will be in severe pain after surgery or worse they may lose control over their bowel & bladder functions. But these fears are often exaggerated, and modern spine surgery is much safer than it used to be a decade ago. Henceforth if the surgeon advises a patient to undergo spine surgery, they should not do undue delay in taking decision. Yes, they may like to take a second opinion but exaggerated fears about spine surgery should not be the cause for undue delay in surgery because then the neurological deficits take more time to recover.

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