LAMINECTOMY WITH FUSION: What can happen if you don't take care of your back

As a chiropractor and a rehab guy, I observe surgeries every chance I get.  This morning I got to scrub in with one of Austin's top neurosurgery teams, Drs. Mark Burnett and Kitt Fox of Neuro Texas Institute, as they performed an enormously complicated triple lumbar laminectomy with fusion.

Since it is tremendously invasive, risky and has long recovery times (9+ months), this procedure is basically a last resort for someone with advanced spinal degeneration.  Most of the back side of the spine is removed, including the lamina, pars and facet joints, which relieves pressure from the spinal cord and nerves.  Then titanium brackets are drilled into the spine across several vertebral levels, effectively "bolting" them all together.  These joints will never move again, but this is necessary to support the spine after much of it has been removed.

Over breakfast Dr. Burnett told me something that each of you should know.  He said that this patient's lower back problem was in fact "a whole-body problem". 

Here's what he meant.

This patient was diabetic, overweight and sedentary.  His progressively worsening lower back pain, numbness, weakness and eventual inability to walk was most likely avoidable.  This surgery was most likely avoidable.

Which means, you get to CHOOSE whether you'll ever need a surgery like this.  Eating sensibly, exercising moderately and taking care of your spine can MASSIVELY reduce your risks of permanent disability, chronic pain or even death on the operating table.

If you feel like you have a "whole-body problem" and would like to fix it, come see me.  Like I always say, 

• "It's easier to keep you healthy than it is to fix you when you're broken."

Taking care of yourself is an investment, but the payoff is BIG.  What will YOU choose?

-Daniel Bockmann, DC

To read more about the procedure I watched this morning, click here: http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/decompressive-laminectomy-for-spinal-stenosis

To learn about Dr. Mark Burnett and his team, click here: http://www.neurotexasinstitute.com/OurDoctors/neurosurgery/dr-mark-burnett.aspx

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