How Long of a Hospital Stay For Disc Decompression is Required

A bulging or herniated disc can cause symptoms of pain, numbness, or muscle weakness that make it hard to go about everyday activities. Over time, you may notice that you become less active, and your work productivity may slip. You may also develop new health conditions, like insomnia, depression, or a decreased immune response.

Is Surgery Needed?

Disc decompression is an effective and safe treatment for disc problems like bulging discs and herniated discs. However, it's not always necessary to use surgical treatment, and it's preferable to avoid surgery whenever possible. There are a number of effective non-surgical treatments for disc problems, including:

• Physical therapy - Can reduce symptoms by strengthening the muscles that support the spine, and improving spinal alignment
  
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - Can help reduce pain and inflammation in the affected disc
  
• Epidural steroid injections - A more dramatic way to reduce inflammation
  
• Chiropractic care - Like physical therapy, chiropractic care can improve spinal alignment
  

In many cases, a combination of several of these approaches may be used, even if disc decompression is also used. Your doctor may also recommend long-term lifestyle changes to reduce the chance of future issues, such as performing back exercises regularly or losing weight.

Although non-surgical methods are normally effective, there are some cases where disc decompression is called for. Severe symptoms may be treated with surgery as the first option; surgery may also be considered when symptoms are getting progressively worse, especially if the affected disc is in the neck. Patients who don't respond to non-surgical treatments might receive surgery as well.

Recovery 

Disc decompression can be performed using laser spine surgery, a radio frequency probe, or other minimally invasive procedures. A bulging or herniated disc causes symptoms by compressing the spinal cord or nerve roots. During disc decompression, the goal is to remove the portion of the disc which is causing symptoms.

This can be achieved by creating 1-2 small incisions, and inserting a needle or probe. A needle can be used to manually remove a small amount of disc material, while a laser or radio frequency probe can actually dissolve it completely. Such procedures are minimally invasive, and have a relatively short recovery time. There is normally no need for any hospital stay at all.

To schedule a consultation about treatment for your back problems, please click below and enter your information or call the Datta Endoscopic Back Surgery and Pain Center at (646) 374-1799.