A bone spur forms when a disc has deteriorated in the spine. These bony protrusions develop as a response to inflammation and friction caused by bone-on-bone contact in an attempt to stabilize the spine. Typically bone spurs are not harmful. However, when it compresses a nerve root or spinal cord in the spinal canal, then debilitating symptoms can develop. These can include pain, numbness, weakness, tingling, and restricted range of motion. To learn when a surgical procedure becomes necessary for bone spur relief, read the following article.
Your Conservative Treatment Options
Before attempting surgical intervention for bone spurs, conservative care is usually the first step to helping you find relief. This may include pain medication, physical therapy, chiropractic care, steroid injections, anti-inflammatories, and low-impact exercises. However, if you do not experience adequate relief after several weeks or months of nonsurgical therapy then you may need to consider a surgical bone spur procedure If this is the case for you, contact BEST Health System to learn more about our minimally invasive spine procedures.
Bone Spur Procedure at BEST Health System
At BEST Health System, we offer a variety of surgical bone spur procedures based on the severity of your condition. Our decompression procedures include:
- Foraminotomy. This procedure relieves pressure on the nerve root as it exits through the foraminal canal.
- Laminotomy. This procedure relieves the pressure caused by bone spur spinal cord compressions.
- Discectomy. This procedure removes part of the disc that is bulging or herniated. As a result, painful the spinal cord compression symptoms are relieved.
- Facet Thermal Ablation. This procedure is performed most often in conjunction with a decompression procedure. The purpose of this procedure is to relieve painful nerves in the facet joint through a laser.
The goal of these procedures is to relieve bone spur symptoms. They are performed through a less than one-inch incision that does not unnecessarily disrupt the muscles or ligaments surrounding the spine, allowing for a safer and more effective alternative to traditional open spine surgery. To learn more about what sets BEST Health System apart as the leader in minimally invasive spine surgery or to find out if one of our procedures would be effective for you, reach out to us today!
