Laminectomy

Your doctor will conduct a physical examination and discuss any previous treatment for the condition. He or she may order an X-ray, MRI or other imaging exam of your spine.

Tell your doctor about any over-the-counter or prescription medications or herbal supplements you take. Your doctor may ask you to stop taking certain medications before the surgery to reduce the risk of potential complications.

Tell your doctor if you have a bleeding disorder. Share any known allergies or sensitivities to medicines, latex or anesthesia. Let your doctor know if you are pregnant or think you could be.

Follow any pre-op instructions your doctor gives you about not eating or drinking for the specified period ahead of your surgery. Call your doctor’s office if you are unclear about any instructions you receive.

You may be unable to drive or complete certain activities for a while after your surgery. Stock up on groceries and other household essentials ahead of time. Arrange for someone to pick you up after the procedure and help you while you recover.

Once you check in, we provide you with a private area to change into a loose-fitting medical gown. Remove any jewelry. We then take you to a pre-op waiting area.

When it is time for your procedure, any hair at or around the procedure site will be shaved. An anesthesiologist administers general anesthesia. Within a few minutes you should be unconscious (in a sleep-like state), so you are unable to feel pain and are unaware of what is happening during the procedure. We monitor your heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels throughout the procedure.

You will be face down during the procedure to allow your surgeon direct access to your back. The surgeon makes the smallest possible incision in your back. Then he or she gently moves muscle away from the spine as needed, to allow access to the affected vertebrae.

Any bone spurs and the smallest possible amount of lamina — the back part of vertebrae covering the spinal cord — are removed to reduce pressure on the nerves of the spine and relieve radiating pain.

If this procedure is for a herniated disk, the surgeon also performs a diskectomy (another type of decompressive surgery) to remove the herniated portion of a disk pressing on a nerve.

If this procedure is for abnormal or excessive motion between two vertebrae, your surgeon also performs spinal fusion. This procedure permanently fuses two vertebrae together to eliminate painful movement between them. It may be done to help with degenerative disk disease, recurrent herniated disks, spinal deformities, spinal instability and other conditions.

After surgery is complete, the surgeon closes the incision with stitches or surgical staples. Surgical bandages or dressings are applied as needed to protect the area.

This procedure typically takes one to three hours. Complex conditions may take longer, especially if combined with other procedures.

After the procedure, we move you to a recovery room where we monitor you for complications from surgery and anesthesia. You may feel groggy or “out of it” for several hours after you wake up from anesthesia. This is normal. Most people stay in the hospital for one or two nights.

Plan to take it easy for a while after your surgery. Your health care provider will tell you what to expect based on the surgery and your individual health condition. We may recommend you meet with a physical therapist to learn how to safely conduct daily activities while you heal.

Limit activities that include lifting, bending or stretching for several weeks. You may be unable to drive for one to two weeks. Avoid long car rides or flying in an airplane for at least two weeks after your surgery, if possible, to reduce the risk of blood clots.

Keep the incision site clean and dry to reduce the risk of infection or other complications. Your health care provider will give you showering and bathing instructions.

You may be asked to return in around two weeks to have any stitches or staples removed. 

Take a pain reliever for soreness only as recommended by your health care provider.

See your doctor right away if you experience new or worsening pain, a fever over 101 degrees Fahrenheit, or any signs of infection such as redness or swelling at or near the injection site.