Treatment of Intervertebral Disc Hernia – What do you need to know?

There are various ways to treat an intervertebral hernia. In most cases, a person can be treated by conservative methods. However, if the disease progresses and the pain returns more often 3 times a year, the patient feels numbness of the hands / feet or completely ceases to control them – without surgical intervention cure is not possible.

You need to approach very carefully to treat intervertebral hernia with the help of surgery, choose a qualified specialist and a well-equipped clinic.

In modern clinics, surgery to remove the intervertebral hernia is done by minimally invasive methods through small incisions of 2-2.5 cm or completely through small punctures. The whole operation takes from 15 minutes to 1 hour. Surgical intervention is performed under general anesthesia or spinal anesthesia with the help of special microsurgery instruments that are equipped with a tiny video camera with multiple magnification, through which the intervention process is controlled.

The advantage of this operation is that the muscles, bones and nerve endings remain intact while the hernia is completely removed. If the intervertebral disc is severely damaged, a prosthesis/implant is placed in its place. Recovery after the operation is very fast: the next day the patient can walk, the only thing that needs to be ensured that after surgery you need to wear a special corset for up to 3 weeks.

Methods of surgical intervention:

• Spondylodesis – involves the removal of the intervertebral disc and the connection of adjacent vertebrae. After such intervention, the patient may feel a slight restriction in the movement of the spine.
• Laminectomy – involves the removal of a part of the bone tissue, spur and / or ligament, so that the nerves no longer squeeze.
• Foraminotomy – involves excision of the bone tissue to the side of the vertebrae, this helps to increase the space and relieve pressure on the nerve roots.
• Discectomy – involves the removal of part of the disk or the entire disk, this operation is also performed by minimally invasive methods.

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Treatment of intervertebral hernia without surgery

Hernia of the intervertebral disc can be treated without surgery, even if drug therapy is useless. We are talking about the treatment of the intervertebral hernia through laser. This method can be used if the contents of the disk core has not left its shell, and the dimensions of the hernia itself do not exceed 6 mm. The essence of the procedure is that a special needle is introduced into the patient’s back, through which laser radiation is delivered. From the radiation effect, the core of the disk evaporates and the disk itself decreases in size. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia. The patient recovers quickly and can go home by next day.

Treatment of intervertebral hernia depending on the type

Intervertebral hernia of the lumbar spine requires urgent treatment. Especially it is dangerous for women as it often leads to problems of gynecological nature. Treatment of lumbar intervertebral hernia can be conservative: drug therapy, acupuncture, resonance-wave therapy, blockade pain, and also training on special simulators. However, such medical care will be effective only at an early stage of the disease. In another case, a herniated disc requires surgical treatment.

Most often, patients are diagnosed with sacral herniated disc. The reason for this is the fact that the lumbosacral department is under the greatest pressure. Even young people at the age of 25 can face the problem due to a sedentary lifestyle. Treatment of the sacral herniated disc can be medications: chondoprotectors for better recovery of cartilaginous tissue, drugs for relieving muscle spasm, painkillers, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and vitamin complexes. The patient can also be given massage and special exercises. In the treatment of the intervertebral hernia of the sacral spine, the operation is used only in 10% of cases.

Cervical herniated disc also requires timely treatment, because the nerve fibres passes through the neck and without proper treatment, the cervical hernia can cause disruption of the work of any organ. Surgery is also very rarely used in the treatment of the intervertebral hernia of the cervical region. Most often the patient is prescribed medications, as well as conservative methods of therapy of both western and eastern medicine.

Hernia of the spine in the thoracic region occurs in only 2% of cases. For the treatment of the thoracic herniated disc, medicinal methods of therapy, physiotherapy, massage,manual therapy and employing special simulators are used. The patient is also shown an orthopedic regimen, which involves the absence of heavy loads (useful exercise LFK), a constant change of posture, and long stay in an inclined position is prohibited.

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Intervertebral hernia of the thoracic region may require surgical treatment if other methods of therapy do not demonstrate the expected result. In leading clinics abroad, a canal operation is practically not used. Most often practiced are the minimally invasive decompression methods. A microsurgical operation requires a high level of skill of a neurosurgeon, therefore, first of all, pay attention to which specialist you are going to. For example,an outstanding specialist of Israel in microsurgery of the spine – Prof. Zvi Lidar is practicing in the hospital Ichilov.

TESTIMONIALS ABOUT THE TREATMENT OF THE INTERVERTEBRAL HERNIATED DISC

“In 2017, removed a hernia in the lumbar region under supervision of Professor Zvi Lidar in an Israeli clinic. The surgical removal was decided after medication and other therapies in my homeland had practically no effect. Already on the second day after the operation I was on my feet. Complete recovery was in a week after that I left for home. There was no pain after the operation and now an year has passed and I am going to the gym and even doing weight exercises – everything is fine, no complaints. Do not be afraid of surgery, just find a good neurosurgeon – it’s very important … “Katherina, Kharkov.

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