A major cause of back pain is spinal stenosis, a concerning condition that impacts about 103 million individuals across the globe. Many Americans, especially those over age 50, cope with spinal stenosis, and approximately 600,000 surgical procedures to address lumbar (lower back) spinal stenosis alone are performed annually.
The problem that spinal stenosis causes is painful and sometimes debilitating: nerve and spinal cord compression where the spinal canal narrows.
There is a range of conservative treatments for spinal stenosis, including physical therapy, epidural steroid injections, over-the-counter and prescription pain medications, and weight management; however, when spinal stenosis becomes debilitating and these treatments don’t address your symptoms, surgery may be necessary.
Board-certified neurosurgeons Dr. David Westra and Dr. Katherine Wagner at Ventura Neurosurgery in Midtown, Ventura, California, perform procedures that are effective, lasting solutions for spinal stenosis discomfort, which can become life-limiting and affect your quality of life and freedom of movement.
Several surgical options exist for those living with spinal stenosis, whether it affects your cervical spine (neck area), thoracic spine (middle back), or lumbar spine, the part of the spine most frequently affected.
Our team is also highly experienced in performing advanced minimally invasive spinal surgery, which offers patients impressive benefits.
Due to degenerative changes that occur as you age, spinal stenosis can sneak up on you. Several conditions lead to it, including degenerative scoliosis, thickened ligaments, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Spinal stenosis causes diverse and painful symptoms that can disrupt your life, including:
It’s easy to see from this list why anyone experiencing spinal stenosis symptoms would want lasting relief as soon as possible.
If your spinal stenosis is advanced and greatly affects your quality of life, your Ventura Neurology provider may recommend surgery. Several procedures are appropriate, depending on where your spine is impacted.
When we talk about minimally invasive procedures, we mean that they’re far less traumatic to your body and tissues as compared to traditional open surgery, which requires large incisions.
The numerous benefits of minimally invasive procedures include:
During a minimally invasive spine surgery, your Ventura Neurosurgery surgeon uses specially designed instruments that don’t require cutting through soft tissues, such as muscle, making it far less damaging to your body than standard surgery.
We carefully spread the muscle fibers and insert narrow tubes that hold a small camera. This setup provides your surgeon with a precise, magnified view of your spine while minimizing tissue damage. They’re also able to see your spine down the tube using a microscope.
When the tubes are removed, your muscles can easily close after surgery. Amazingly, we can also position metal rods and screws through small skin incisions, via lateral (through the side) access to your spine — again sparing muscle.
The advances that minimally invasive procedures have brought to spine surgery in particular have been outstanding for patients, allowing them to heal more quickly and fully, with fewer complications.
To learn more about whether minimally invasive surgery for spinal stenosis might be appropriate for you, please contact our Ventura office at 805-590-4365 or reach out through our website.
