Many people may be afraid of surgery. In many people's minds, surgery is a very risky thing, like a big gamble.
Many people think that instead of handing over their health to risky surgery, it is better to choose conservative treatment, which is relatively safe and does not have to take a big risk. Some people say that lumbar spine surgery cannot be done, and after doing it, people are paralyzed.
Many people may have heard of this statement, and many people believe it. Is there any basis for such a claim? Do patients with lumbar spine-related diseases want surgery? Under what circumstances does surgery need?
Let's answer this question about lumbar spine surgery one by one.
Lumbar spine surgery can not be done? Paralyzed after doing it?
At present, the surgery of the lumbar spine in mainland China has been quite mature, and some surgical techniques are also at the world-class level.
The development of spine surgery has been relatively delicate and complete, and its surgical techniques are mostly high-precision technical operations. In the past, the surgery for disc-related diseases was relatively single, and only simple nucleus pulposus removal could be achieved, and the height of the intervertebral space could not be reconstructed. And the window opening is also more complicated, and the wound surface is also larger.
If the nucleus pulposus cannot be removed cleanly, there may be a possibility of recurrence in the later stage. Therefore, sometimes some patients may have short-lived low back and leg pain.
In addition, some surgeries may also have reduced lumbar spine stability in some patients. For example, open discectomy, because part of the lamina needs to be removed, some patients may feel pain in the lower back, cannot stand up straight, and have difficulty bending.
Therefore, such postoperative symptoms may cause some people to misunderstand, and only then will there be rumors that "lumbar spine surgery cannot be done, and once you do it, you will be paralyzed".
In fact, surgery does not hurt the nerves, but it does not eradicate the disease. Surgery only eliminates or relieves the patient's symptoms, does not restore the lumbar disc to its pre-onset state, nor does it reverse the natural law of lumbar degeneration.
We all know that lumbar spine diseases are mostly chronic, a slow and gradual process that gradually deepens with age. Just like when people are old, their hair will turn white, their teeth will fall out, and their skin will wrinkle. People's spine will also slowly age, and wear lesions will occur, so surgery cannot completely solve the patient's condition.
Although surgery may be unsatisfactory, some patients may recur. But after all, it can eliminate or alleviate pain to a large extent, and can reduce or avoid the risk of disability of patients.
And many of the current surgeries are minimally invasive, with small surgical cuts, lower risks, and much better results than before. Therefore, surgery can be done, and there is no case of paralysis after doing it.
What conditions do patients need surgery?
The purpose of treatment is to alleviate or eliminate the disease, surgery is required in severe cases, and if the symptoms are mild, the purpose of treatment can be achieved by drugs or other treatment methods, and surgery is not required.
For most patients, surgery is not required. Most lumbar spine diseases are treated non-surgically in the early to mid-onset of illness, which relieves or eliminates symptoms and therefore does not require surgery.
However, when the condition seriously affects the individual's life, it should be treated surgically. If you have been ill for more than half a year and the drug treatment is ineffective, surgery is required. When patients feel severe pain, muscle strength declines, or even severe muscle atrophy occurs, treatment is required by surgical intervention.
Whether or not to operate is always decided according to the actual situation of the individual, for example, a 65-year-old patient, usually walk a long way will feel low back pain, but the impact on the life of the individual is not serious, the use of drug treatment will be relatively reasonable. Surgery should be performed if there is already difficulty walking, even difficulty getting out of bed.
However, if the disease has seriously affected the physiological function of the person, such as paralysis, surgery must be performed.
How long does it take to recover after lumbar spine surgery?
The recovery time of surgery on the lumbar spine, different surgical treatment methods, and recovery time are also different.
Among them, minimally invasive surgical methods such as lumbar vertebral fractures and percutaneous vertebral body plasty in the elderly, which are more common in the clinic, recover relatively quickly, because the stability of bone cement is relatively good. In general, the patient's symptoms can be significantly relieved the next day after surgery. Some patients can even walk on the ground.
However, for lumbar disc herniation, if the traditional surgical method is used, the recovery period will be longer. In general, it takes about 3 months, but for some more serious patients it takes longer. At the same time, in the early stages of the rehabilitation period, it is best to rest in bed at home and can be properly active.
After surgery, it should be noted that for a long time during the recovery period, a waist brace should be worn for underground activities.
After half a year to a year after surgery, the lumbar spine will recover almost the same, and the healing will be relatively good, at which time it will be able to resume normal daily life. But avoid strenuous exercise or high-intensity physical activity.
Of course, the specific activity time should be decided according to its own recovery situation and the doctor's arrangement, and it is not possible to blindly carry out activities.
Precautions for postoperative rehabilitation of the lumbar spine
After the operation, the patient will have a period of recovery, this time can not be relaxed, should pay attention to recuperation and recovery. Especially in the first three months after surgery, the various functions of the body are still in a critical period of recovery, which requires special attention.
After surgery, the pain in the lower back and legs of the patient will be significantly improved, but there may be some discomfort. After a period of time, it will subside as the body gradually recovers. At this time, the patient can go out for a walk and do some moderate exercise, such as slow walking. However, it is necessary to pay attention to the need to have a family member accompanying you during exercise to avoid accidents.
In addition, patients also need to pay attention to diet, can not drink alcohol or smoke, try not to eat spicy and irritating food. You can eat some meat and high-protein foods appropriately, and you can eat more fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc. to supplement the needs of the human body.
The focus of lumbar spine surgery is on the rehabilitation of lumbar function, so patients should also do some rehabilitation training after surgery to improve the stability of the lumbar spine, increase the strength and motor ability of the core muscle group of the lumbar spine, and promote postoperative recovery.
If the following sets of rehabilitation training are given, patients can try exercises.
1. Hip bridge
Lie on your back on the bed or on a yoga mat, relax your body and bend your knees appropriately. Place your hands flat on either side of your body and use your abdominal and hip muscles to lift your hips up. Try to keep your knees, abdomen, and shoulders on the same line for 10 seconds. After putting it down, the body relaxes and then does it again, repeating this 5 times, twice a day.
2. Knee chest stretching
Lie on your back, with one leg straight and flat on the ground, the other leg raised to the knees, hands around the raised leg, as close as possible to the human abdomen, the abdomen tightened. Hold this position for 10-15 seconds, then put it down. Repeat the previous movements with the other leg, alternately, 10 times a day.
3. Abdominal support
Lie on your back and bend your knees, put your feet flat on the bed, put your hands flat on both sides of your body, tighten your waist and abdominal muscles, and hold on for 20 seconds, repeating this 10 times, 3 times a day.
summary
The current lumbar spine surgery has made great progress after long-term exploration, and the surgical techniques are relatively safe. Therefore, for some severe patients with lumbar spine-related diseases, surgery should be actively performed. Surgery should not be abandoned because of the possible risks of surgery.
In addition, it should be understood that surgery is not a panacea, and surgery only slows down or eliminates the patient's disease, but does not eradicate it. After surgery, we should still pay attention to some pathogenic factors, avoid the recurrence of the disease, and maintain the healthy state of the body in strict accordance with the doctor's instructions.
In the recovery period of patients, it should be noted that when the body recovers well, it is also necessary to do some exercises conducive to rehabilitation to promote the rapid recovery of the body.