Surgery may be necessary to alleviate back discomfort that limits daily activities. To relieve compression of the spinal cord or the nerve roots that may be brought on by injury, herniated disks, spinal stenosis (narrowing of the canal), or tumors, a surgeon may remove all or part of the vertebral bone (lamina). Only after other medical treatments have failed to provide relief is a laminectomy recommended. In a treatment known as a "discectomy," the doctor removes all or part of the disk and/or bone that is pushing on a nerve root in order to relieve pain, usually leg discomfort brought on by a herniated disc in the lower back, and to give the nerve more room to regenerate.
Surgery may be necessary to alleviate back discomfort that limits daily activities. To relieve compression of the spinal cord or the nerve roots that may be brought on by injury, herniated disks, spinal stenosis (narrowing of the canal), or tumors, a surgeon may remove all or part of the vertebral bone (lamina). Only after other medical treatments have failed to provide relief is a laminectomy recommended. In a treatment known as a "discectomy," the doctor removes all or part of the disk and/or bone that is pushing on a nerve root in order to relieve pain, usually leg discomfort brought on by a herniated disc in the lower back, and to give the nerve more room to regenerate.