Spine-Pain

The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons is one of 24 medical specialty groups that evaluate physicians who seek board certification. Physicians can voluntarily seek board certification once they have completed their required training. In order to become board certified, the physician candidate must have completed training deemed satisfactory by the board, and then pass a series of examinations administered by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

For an orthopedic surgeon to become board certified, he or she must pass both a written and oral examination. Candidates who are in a period of evaluation by the board are considered “board eligible” orthopedic surgeons.

http://orthopedics.about.com/b/a/172601.htm

Anyone undergoing surgery that lasts more than two hours may be at risk of developing a blood clot, and administering heparin (an anticoagulant) may reduce the possibility of this complication. If heparin is administered to a patient receiving laminectomy, careful monitoring and blood tests are necessary to ensure that the blood is not excessively thinned, which can cause bleeding.

http://www.answers.com/topic/laminectomy?cat=health

What does the condition feel like?

Symptoms of thoracic disc herniation vary widely. Symptoms depend on where and how big the disc herniation is, where it is pressing, and whether the spinal cord has been damaged.

Pain is usually the first symptom. The pain may be centered over the injured disc but may spread to one or both sides of the mid-back. Also, patients commonly feel a band of pain that goes around the front of the chest. Patients may eventually report sensations of pins, needles, and numbness. Others say their leg or arm muscles feel weak. Disc material that presses against the spinal cord can also cause changes in bowel and bladder function.

Disc herniations can affect areas away from the spine. Herniations in the upper part of the thoracic spine can radiate pain and other sensations into one or both arms. If the herniation occurs in the middle of the thoracic spine, pain can radiate to the abdominal or chest area, mimicking heart problems. A lower thoracic disc herniation can cause pain in the groin or lower limbs and can mimic kidney pain.

http://www.eorthopod.com/

When referring to what discs are involved, a physician will refer in medical jargon to the “levels involved.” A one-level fusion links or fuses together two vertebral bones on either side of a diseased disc. A two-level fusion links or fuses together three vertebral bones with two intervening discs. A fusion is an actual bridge of solid bone that is created by surgery and links the bones together to maintain alignment and provide stability and strength. It is believed that pain originates in levels of the spine where the bones are slipped or the discs or joints are damaged and produce pain. This may be due to irritated nerve endings around the disc, bone or joints themselves or due to actual entrapment of the spinal nerves in that region. By eliminating motion across the damaged level, pain can be improved. A solid bridge of bone eliminates motion that normally would take place at the disc space and in the joints of the spine.

http://www.spineuniverse.com/displayarticle.php/article600.html

If conservative measures fail:

injections of an anesthetic or steroid medicine into the facet joint or nerves that go to the facet joint may be tried sinu-vertebral nerve ablation which destroys nerves with electrical current may be an option

What Surgical Options Exist for Facet Arthropathy?: Surgical options to treat facet arthropathy include:

Facet rhizotomy - sever one of the nerves going to facet joint
Fusion - fuse two or more vertebrae to eliminate movement in facet joints (sometimes facet joints are removed during spinal fusion)

http://arthritis.about.com/od/spine/p/facet_joints.htm