Norwalk
Back and neck pain are common, but that doesn’t make them any easier to deal with. Whether you’re experiencing pain after an accident or pain that doesn’t have an obvious cause, you may be unsure about where to go for treatment. You may have tried at-home remedies like heat or ice, or you may have already seen your primary care doctor or a physical therapist.
If you’ve been experiencing daily pain for 12 weeks or longer, your back or neck pain is considered chronic. Seeing a back, spine, and neck specialist at CT Spine & Orthopedic can help you feel better and find relief from your pain. A specialist is more familiar with the problems you’re dealing with, and we’ll be able to offer better advice and treatment options, including minimally invasive surgery in Norwalk, CT.
After you schedule your initial appointment, it’s a good idea to put together some notes about your symptoms. Write down details about when your pain started, where it’s located, and anything that makes it feel better or worse. If you’ve already received treatment or testing like an MRI or CT scan, bring those records with you or have them sent over to the specialist in advance.
At your appointment, we’ll talk to you about your symptoms and get a detailed understanding of exactly where you’re experiencing pain. We’ll do a physical exam, which includes checking your range of motion and feeling for muscle issues.
Once we’ve finished your initial exam, we’ll have a better idea of what could be causing your back and neck pain. Depending on your diagnosis and what you’ve already tried, we may recommend minimally-invasive surgery.
There are two basic requirements for having minimally-invasive orthopedic surgery in Norwalk, CT. First, your doctor needs to find something specific that’s wrong with your neck or back that requires surgery to fix. Secondly, you need to have already tried some non-surgical treatment options and still be experiencing pain. Surgery can be incredibly helpful, but it comes with risks and recovery time, which is why it’s recommended as a last resort.
Some common conditions that can make you a good candidate for surgery include:
These are all examples of conditions that involve a visible cause of pain that a surgeon can correct. Your spine specialist will determine if surgery is a good option for you based on your exam and test results.
Traditional spinal surgery required surgeons to make a large incision and pull the muscles at the surgical site back to access the spine. Newer surgical techniques allow many patients to have minimally-invasive spinal surgery instead. During this type of surgery, your surgeon makes a small incision and uses a tube-shaped retractor to access the injured area of the spine. The surgeon can then pass surgical tools and a camera through the tube.
Because they allow your surgeon to make smaller incisions and avoid retracting muscles, minimally-invasive surgery will leave you with less pain and allow you to recover faster than you would with traditional surgery.
Minimally-invasive surgery can be used for several neck and spine conditions and injuries. Two common examples are spinal fusion and discectomy. Spinal fusion uses a bone graft along with metal screws to attach two damaged or unstable vertebrae together. It can help treat fractures, pinched nerves, or spinal compression. Discectomy removes a damaged or herniated disk to relieve pressure on the nerves in your spine or neck.
Depending on the type of surgery you need, minimally-invasive orthopedic surgery can be done as either an outpatient procedure or with a short hospital stay. After outpatient surgery, you’ll stay in the hospital for a few hours to allow your healthcare team to monitor you. If you aren’t experiencing any complications, you’ll go home that day. If you have a more complicated procedure, you may need to stay in the hospital for a day or two.
Some pain after this type of surgery is normal, but it usually improves quickly. Your doctor will discuss prescription and over-the-counter pain relief options. Your doctor will give you specific instructions on how to care for your back while you recover. For example, you may need to wear a back brace or avoid bending down or lifting heavy items. Your doctor may also recommend physical therapy. The exercises you learn in physical therapy will help strengthen your back, which will help you recover faster.
The recovery timeline will vary depending on the type of surgery you had, but most people feel well enough to go back to their normal routines within a few weeks.
If you’re dealing with ongoing back or neck pain that isn’t improving, it may be time to see a specialist. A back, neck, and spine expert at CT Spine & Orthopedic can provide a more nuanced diagnosis and has the expertise to perform minimally-invasive surgery if it’s the right treatment for you.
If you’re looking for a specialist to help heal your pain or injury, call us at (866) 553-0612 or fill out our contact form here to schedule an appointment today. Our Concierge Team can help you make sure everything is in line for your appointments to ensure that your treatment goes as smoothly as possible.
