Surgeons want the best for their patients. And they pride themselves on obtaining the best results for each patient no matter what kind of surgery is being done. Having said that, they also are very careful in what is referred to as patient selection to assure those good results.

Decompression is a surgical procedure designed to take pressure off the spinal cord and/or spinal nerve roots. The surgeon removes a portion of the bone called the lamina. The lamina forms part of back/leg pain associated with spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal) or degenerative disc disease.

Even simple spinal surgeries can result in serious problems when infection occurs. Despite sterile techniques, any open incision leaves the patient at increased risk of wound infection. The use of minimally invasive spinal surgery (MISS) may be changing the picture.

Any kind of graded exercise means you'll start out slowly and gradually increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of any exercises given. With a spine fracture, this often takes the form of spinal stabilization exercises that include the entire trunk (back and abdomen). Most rehab programs are designed, administered, and/or supervised by a physical therapist.

You are in good hands if your surgeon is routinely screening for osteoporosis and pretreating patients who might be at risk for fractures from brittle bones associated with osteoporosis. You may not be cancelled for surgery. It depends on a number of different factors. Your age, the quality of bone density, your levels of calcium and vitamin D, and your overall general health are all important factors in the decision.

Medical doctors rely on evidence from scientific studies to help guide their treatment decisions. Without evidence, they fall back on consensus-based best practice. That means they do what they have seen works well and what others have reported based on surveys and questionnaires. Sometimes there's a gap between what the evidence shows and what the current practice is. As this study shows, that's what may be happening for patients undergoing spinal surgery who have osteoporosis.

Pseudarthrosis is another word for false joint and refers to movement that occurs at the fused site. It can occur without symptoms so the patient doesn't even know he or she has it. Or it can cause back and leg (or arm) pain, depending on whether the fusion is at the cervical (neck) or lumbar (low back) level.

Surgical fusion of the spine for degenerative disease is becoming a popular way to treat this problem. And that's because surgeons now have at their disposal better ways to perform the surgery and improved hardware such as pedicle screws and locking plates to hold the bones together. Bone graft is also a commonly used material to help get a solid fusion.

Surgical fusion of the spine for degenerative disease is becoming a popular way to treat this problem. And that's because surgeons now have at their disposal better ways to perform the surgery and improved hardware such as pedicle screws and locking plates to hold the bones together. Even so, there is a major concern about the number of failed spinal fusions requiring revision (a second) surgery.

Experts have asked the same question: these procedures provide rapid pain relief, but is the final outcome of treatment any different or better than standard medical care? Can the cost of these procedures be justified?