When conservative measures such as oral medication
and physical therapy fail to provide relief, you
may be a candidate for an injection procedure. Epidural
steroid injections and facet blocks are examples
of interventional care that may provide significant
relief and help you avoid surgery. However, if these
treatments fail, patients typically undergo a decompression
procedure in which an the entire vertebral body
may be removed (corpectomy) between adjacent levels
of spondylosis, or several bodies may be removed.
However, the particular procedure performed for
relief of symptoms varies depending on your particular
case and your surgeon.
Preparing
for Surgery
If you and your doctor have decided on surgery for
your spondylosis or spondylolisthesis, the decisions
you make and the actions you take before your surgery
can be every bit as important as the procedure itself
in ensuring a healthy recovery.
Learn
the potential risks and benefits of the surgery
by asking your surgeon any questions that will
help you better understand the procedure. It can
also help to speak with someone else who has undergone
the same surgery.
Any
physical problems, such as a fever or infection,
should be reported to your surgeon, and you should
notify your surgeon of any medication you are
taking.
Getting
a second opinion from a surgeon who is as qualified
as the surgeon who gave the initial diagnosis
is advisable in any case.
Make
sure the orthopedist performing the surgery is
board-certified, which can be determined by calling
the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery at 919-929-7103.
At most medical centers, you will go to "patient
admissions" or "outpatient surgery"
to check in for your surgery. If your surgery is
going to be inpatient, there may be a separate department,
so be sure to ask your doctor. After you have checked
in to the hospital or clinic, you will go to a holding
area where the final preparations are made. The
paperwork is completed and your back may be shaved,
though this is not always necessary. You will wear
a hospital gown and remove all of your jewelry.
You will meet the anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist
(a nurse who has done graduate training to provide
anesthesia under the supervision of an anesthesiologist).
Then, you will walk or ride on a stretcher to the
operating room. Most patients are not sedated until
they go into the operating room. Here are some important
things to remember for the day of your surgery:
You
will probably be told not to eat or drink anything
after midnight on the night before your surgery.
This will reduce the risk of vomiting while you
are under general anesthesia.
Take
it easy. Keeping a good frame of mind can help
ease any nerves or anxiety about undergoing surgery.
Distractions such as reading, watching television,
chatting with visitors, or talking on the telephone
can also help.
Learn
the potential risks and benefits of the surgery
by asking your surgeon any questions that will
help you better understand the procedure. It can
also help to speak with someone else who has undergone
the same surgery.
