Spine Surgery

Spine surgery often becomes your best treatment option if conservative therapies don’t relieve back or neck pain and improve mobility. You can rely on the board-certified neurosurgeons at Coast Neurosurgical Associates in Long Beach, California, to offer the most appropriate treatment for painful spinal conditions, including minimally invasive surgeries that restore spinal stability as they relieve pain. Schedule an evaluation today by calling the office or requesting an appointment online.

When is spine surgery necessary?

At Coast Neurosurgical Associates, surgery is rarely the first choice or even a close second for solving chronic back or neck pain. Most issues respond to conservative treatments, including physical therapy, activity modification, and oral medications or injections to relieve pain and inflammation.

However, some conditions can progress, causing spinal instability and debilitating nerve pain that doesn’t respond to conservative therapy, including:

• Herniated discs
• Degenerative disc disease
• Vertebral compression fractures linked to osteoporosis
• Traumatic spine injury
• Osteoarthritis of the spine
• Spinal tumor or infection
• Spinal stenosis
• Nerve root compression

Your specialist may also recommend surgery as the first choice for nerve root compression interfering with bowel or bladder control or mobility in the legs. This level of nerve damage can become permanent if not addressed surgically.

What are the different types of spine surgery?

The board-certified neurosurgeons at Coast Neurosurgical Associates are highly skilled in all spine surgery, including conventional “open” surgery and minimally invasive procedures.

Common types of spine surgery include:

Laminectomy

During a laminectomy, often used to correct spinal stenosis, your surgeon removes bone spurs and portions of the vertebral wall to relieve spinal nerve compression.

Discectomy

Frequently performed with laminectomy, discectomy removes a deteriorating or herniated disc pressing on a nearby nerve root or the spinal cord. 

Spinal fusion

If your surgeon removes multiple discs during discectomy or if spinal stability is otherwise at risk, you may require spinal fusion. During this procedure, adjacent vertebrae are fused using bone grafts and metal devices secured by screws.

Artificial disc replacement

During artificial disc replacement, your surgeon removes and replaces the damaged disc with a prosthetic (manufactured) disc. This procedure helps maintain spinal flexibility while preserving structural stability, eliminating the need for spinal fusion. 

How long does it take to heal from spine surgery?

Full recovery and return to routine activity after spine surgery varies depending on the type of procedure performed and your overall health at the time of surgery. Before scheduling spine surgery, your surgeon discusses the procedure in detail, including expectations during recovery.

Supportive care, including follow-up appointments and guided physical rehab, continues throughout your healing and is vital to Coast Neurosurgical Associates’ commitment to patient-first care.

Schedule an evaluation today by calling the office or requesting an appointment with their secure online scheduling service.