Microdiscectomy

If your doctor diagnosed you with a herniated disc, you might undergo a microdiscectomy. Only, if you have a herniated disc problem but do not have pain, non-surgical solutions are preferred.

How long should you stay in the hospital after the surgery? 

You may spend one night in the hospital after the procedure to monitor your status. 

1-2 hours.

It is recommended to stop smoking before surgery. Healthy eating and exercise may also be an option. Also, you should not eat for six hours before surgery.

Generally, full anesthesia is used while performing Microdiscectomy. To reach the spine, patients lie face down during the operation. Doctors make small incisions to reach the spine muscles in the same way as lumbar decompression treatment. The difference between a traditional discectomy and Microdiscectomy is the size of the incisions. Thanks to the microscope and other optical instruments, the incision size in Microdiscectomy is quite small. Once the spine muscles are reached, the doctor focuses on the hernia. Sometimes in order to do so, the specialist needs to conduct a laminotomy (removal of a small part of one’s vertebrae). After reaching the herniated disk, its herniated part is cut to relieve pain and bring the regular functioning of spinal nerves back. At the last part of the Microdiscectomy, muscles on the spine are restored to their former place, and the incision is closed.

Although most of the surgeries are needed rest for a few days, microdiscectomy patients can leave the hospital within a few hours. Furthermore, after a microdiscectomy, patients should be active, and patients are encouraged to return to their day-to-day lives after surgery. However, that is not mean patients can behave as if nothing happened. After the microdiscectomy, patients should continue their activities step by step for a healthy healing process.

Although Microdiscectomy is a safer kind of operation than other lower back surgeries, it has a few risks. Fluid leakage in the spinal cord, also known as a dural tear, is the most common. But after one or two day rest, this problem may be solved. Also, some rare risks may occur such as infection, internal or external bleeding, damage to the patient’s nerves, thrombosis on the leg, and problems with the bowels or bladder but all of these risks are uncommon, and your doctor can heal these.

Microdiscectomy procedure generally has no side effects, but in some cases, herniated disc pain may not pass. In this situation, another surgery procedure needs to be done. However, the herniated disc problem may recur in the future, in which case re-operation is necessary.

The microdiscectomy success rate is thought to be rather high, around 85%, which is a really good sign remembering how fragile area is human’s spine.

If there is sciatic pain due to a herniated disc, it is expected to heal after surgery. Complaints such as spinal stenosis and low back pain are expected to heal slowly.

I Have Herniated Disc. Should I have Microdiscectomy? 

The most important aspect in estimating whether you need a microdiscectomy is herniated disc pain. If you don’t experience it, you probably won’t need a microdiscectomy. 

Why is Microdiscectomy thought to Be Better than Normal Discectomy? 

Microdiscectomy’s advantage is in the size of the incision – the smaller incision, the sooner it heals, and the smaller the possibility of occurrence of infection. For this reason, Microdiscectomy is more popular among patients and doctors. 

Microdiscectomy Recovery Time – Should I Spend It in Bed? 

No, definitely not. Microdiscectomy recovery time should be dedicated to a gradual resumption of your previous lifestyle, without putting too much stress on your spine.