What is a Bone Spur
Even though a bone spur is a very common condition the diagnosis can be a little frightening. As we get older, growths of excess bone can develop in certain areas of the body. In many cases, they go unnoticed because they don’t produce any symptoms. However, when bone spurs develop in the spine, this excess bone spur growth can produce painful side effects. This is due to the bones being so close to the nerves of the spine.
If a bone spur presses on a neighboring nerve root, noticeable symptoms can develop. These include pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, and restricted movement. That is why it is important to take a moment to research what this condition really means. As well as what bone spur treatment options are available to you to help reduce your pain. To learn more about bone spurs, including the causes and treatments for this condition, read the following article.
Causes of Spinal Bone Spurs
You may want to know what caused your spinal bone spur growth in the first place. In many cases, age is the root cause of a spinal bone spur. As the body ages, it may produce bone spurs to help stabilize the joints in the spine that have weakened from normal wear. The weakening of spinal joints can occur if joint cartilage begins to deteriorate. This causes the body to compensate with bone spur growth — a condition called osteoarthritis. This condition may also occur in the spine along with the gradual weakening of the spinal discs that cushion the vertebrae.
Aside from the natural aging process, traumatic injuries can also result in bone spur growth. Which is the body’s natural response to joint instability. Events like car accidents or high-impact sports put stress on the spine and can lead to bone spurs. When spinal bone spurs press against a nerve root or the spinal cord, it can cause symptoms to develop in the neck or back.
Treating Spinal Bone Spurs
If you have been diagnosed with a bone spur that is also compressing a nerve, your doctor may recommend nonsurgical bone spur treatment as the first line of defense. Bone spur treatment can include hot and cold therapies, pain management injections, and chiropractic care. Doctors often recommend physical therapy and yoga to increase flexibility and strengthen the muscles around the affected area. If you haven’t achieved your pain relief goals through several weeks or months of conservative care, bone spur surgery could provide you with lasting relief from chronic neck or back pain. At BEST Health System, we offer minimally invasive procedures to relieve the pain caused by spinal bone spurs.
Depending on your diagnosis, our board-certified surgeons may be able to perform a minimally invasive decompression surgery using one of the following procedures:
- Laminotomy: can create additional space in the spinal canal when a bone spur has developed on the surface of a normal bony structure and is crowding the canal.
- Discectomy: can remove a portion of herniated or bulging disc material to release the pressure on a nerve root or spinal cord.
- Foraminotomy: can remove bone spurs and other tissues that are causing nerve compression inside the space between two vertebrae.
- Facet Thermal Ablation: performed most often in conjunction with a decompression procedure and can be used to deaden a nerve ending inside an arthritic spinal joint.
If your spine condition is more severe, our minimally invasive stabilization techniques can provide relief and immediate stability. For more information about your condition or the minimally invasive outpatient procedures we offer, contact BEST Health System to speak with a member of our dedicated team today. We are here to help guide you on your journey to wellness.
BEST Health System Can Help
If you are interested in learning more about bone spur treatment options available through BEST Health System, contact our team today. Our board-certified surgeons specialize in minimally invasive spine surgery which allows patients to avoid the long recovery time. Start your path to recovery today and call BEST.
