Lumbar Spine Fixation Surgery

Lower back pain is considered to be very common today. Many of us will experience some degree of pain in this region, but few know that its occurrence could indicate a serious medical problem: a neurological problem, which if not treated promptly could cause long-term and perhaps even permanent neural damage.

Lumbar spine fixation surgery is not infrequently performed at the Neurosurgical Center for Excellence at Herzliya Medical Center Hospital precisely for this reason: to act in time to prevent severe neurological damage.

About orthopedics and spinal fixation: to prevent pressure on the nerve roots

Lumbar spine fixation surgery is usually performed due to the movement of a vertebra or because of various changes in its shape (usually due to degenerative bone changes) – which could exert pressure on nerve roots in the region and even on the spinal cord itself.

It is important to understand: The spine is a very crowded area, in which central nerve roots, vertebrae, bones, intervertebral discs and more are all located together.

• Any change, however slight, can have a large effect on the complex structure of the spine, and accordingly, press on an important nerve root.
• The lumbar spine, which includes the lower vertebrae, deals with heavy pressures and loads throughout a person’s life – whether it be due to prolonged sitting, carrying heavy weights, external injury or many additional reasons.
• The chance for movement of one of the vertebrae, a change in its location or in its shape will thus be quite high. The significance of such a condition is clear: the danger of severe neurological damage due to the exertion of pressure on central nerve fibers adjacent to the injured vertebra.

Pressure on nerve fibers can have many implications. Just some of these are:

• Sharp, “burning” and prolonged pain in the lower back
• Radiation of pain to the lower limbs
• A sensation of numbness or of pins-and-needles in the lower limbs
• Loss of sensation in the limbs (temporary or long-term)
• Incontinence
• Problems achieving an erection.

In these instances, lumbar spine fixation surgery would be a necessary and even urgent procedure from a neurological viewpoint. During the operation, in which specialists in Neurosurgery and Orthopedics working at Herzliya Medical Center Hospital usually cooperate, the problematic vertebra will be returned to its place and fused to the adjacent vertebrae. If needed, the degenerative changes that have occurred in it will also be repaired.

Are you dealing with constant lower back pain? Unsure if the pain is temporary or “just” a case of disc herniation?

For advice and further information, contact us at telephone: +972-9-959-4888, or leave your details and we will get back to you promptly.