As an invasive treatment option, spinal surgery is often recommended for complications involving the structural parts of the spine. Since every nerve in the human body comes together at the spine to help form the spinal cord, symptoms can surface in other unexpected areas of the body that stem from spine problems.

Non-invasive treatment options are usually the initial option for spinal conditions and injuries. However, our team might recommend a surgical procedure if your symptoms still don't improve, or if they’re a result of structural spine problems.

Magic Valley Orthopedics offers both minimally invasive options and open surgery for back and spine complications. Recovery times tend to be shorter for minimally invasive treatments and usually present fewer issues.

Magic Valley Orthopedics provides many different spinal surgery options to correct some degenerative conditions and musculoskeletal ailments. A few of the typical spinal surgery specializations are:

• Vertebroplasty: A spinal surgery to fix compression fractures on one or more vertebrae.
• Total Disc Replacement: A surgery for degenerative or herniated discs in the back. In this procedure, a damaged disc is removed and replaced with an artificial device.
• Spinal Fusion: A surgery to fuse two vertebrae together. Spinal fusion can treat conditions that come up or deteriorate when the two vertebrae scrape against one another.
• Lumbar Decompression Surgery: Also referred to as a laminectomy, lumbar decompression is a surgery that treats stenosis of the spine. Stenosis occurs when your spinal column becomes constricted and unnecessary pressure is applied to the nerves inside it. The surgery team eases nerve pressure by taking out bone spurs or other structures that may be causing the constriction to occur.

Whether it's open or minimally invasive, spinal surgery is effective in treating a wide variety of spinal conditions causing numbness, pain, or other discomfort (when obstructions or inflamed areas constrict the nerves around your spine). The team at Magic Valley Orthopedics may recommend a spinal procedure to help with:

• Sciatica
• Herniated discs
• Degenerative disc disease
• Fractures of the vertebrae
• Spinal stenosis
• Spondylolisthesis

These conditions may present few or no symptoms at all, or they might cause significant pain or other side effects like sleep issues or problems with mobility.  Our team may recommend surgery, coupled with other treatments like physical therapy or pain relief medications. 

Spinal fusion is a surgical operation where two vertebrae are permanently melded together. Spinal fusion's purpose is to provide added stability to the spine and reduce pain by taking out a damaged disc and preventing the two vertebrae from experiencing further abrasion.

Our team might recommend spinal fusion in the lower back or neck to eliminate pain related to:

• Herniated discs
• Compressed or pinched nerves
• Degenerative disc disease
• Fracture(s) in the vertebrae
• Spinal stenosis
• Abnormal spinal curvature
• Fractured vertebrae
• Spondylolisthesis

If you have unrelenting neck or back pain that’s a direct result of one of these conditions, we encourage you to call and schedule an evaluation.

Since different procedural styles have unique advantages, Dr. Dazley carefully examines each patient before determining the best surgery option. He bases his surgery strategies on your underlying condition and the specific location of the vertebrae being fused in your spine.

Regardless of the technique used, the surgery's concept is largely the same. Dr. Dazley will remove the injured disc and replace it with material that enables the adjacent vertebrae to grow new bone and fuse together into one.

Several materials promote effective fusion between two vertebrae. One approach is carried out via a bone graft, where a small piece of bone will be obtained from a small incision in your hip. This small bone will then be carefully installed between the vertebrae to promote fusion.

Harvested bone from your hip contains live cells that work in tandem with the vertebrae to generate new bone. Bone grafts can also sometimes be done with material from a bone bank or using a synthetic bone substitute. These options promote a fusion that is free of the need to harvest any bone from your hip. However, bone grafts aren’t the only option for spinal fusion surgery.

In certain cases, Dr. Dazley may use a tool called a fusion cage. A fusion cage is a small device filled with various substances that work to accelerate the growth of new bone. While a fusion cage can be filled with your own bone, Dr. Dazley might rely on advanced bone graft substitutes that contain key growth factors. These growth factors will also promote the development of new bone tissue.

Dr. Dazley can perform lumbar (lower back) and cervical (neck) spinal fusions using minimally invasive surgery, in certain instances. This kind of surgery describes the use of thin surgical tools and minuscule incisions to help prevent lengthier or more painful recoveries.

Microscopic surgery often features faster recovery, less postoperative discomfort, and less internal scarring.

If you're diagnosed with spinal stenosis, the gaps in your spine are narrowed and may apply unnecessary pressure on regional nerves. Typically, spinal stenosis is brought on due to age-related changes in your spinal bones (such as with osteoarthritis or other degenerative conditions). It can also originate from:

• A traumatic injury
• A herniated disc
• Stiff or thick ligaments
• A tumor

At Magic Valley Orthopedics, our professionals effectively treat spinal stenosis regardless of its origin. We'll take careful note of your symptoms, conduct a thorough exam, and possibly perform imaging tests like computed tomography (CT) scans, X-rays, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to pinpoint the problem(s) causing it.

In the majority of instances, spinal stenosis occurs in either the lumbar or cervical regions of your spine. The two primary kinds of spinal stenosis often create similar symptoms that happen in different areas. You may have one of these two kinds of spinal stenosis.

• Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: Begins in the lower region of your back. If you're diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis, your symptoms may encompass cramping, weakness in your legs, generalized back pain, or numbness.
• Cervical Spinal Stenosis: Occurs in your upper back or neck region. Typical cervical spinal stenosis symptoms include tingling, weakness in your arms or legs, numbness, problems with maintaining balance or walking normally, and generalized neck pain.

After your initial physical exam and diagnosis, our team will craft a personalized plan of care for you, beginning with a conservative treatment mindset. Your treatment plan will be dependent on the location of the stenosis in your spine and its level of severity. Your treatment may include:

• Steroid Injections: These injections can help relieve inflammation that could be irritating your spinal nerves.
• Medications: Our team often prescribes antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs, and pain-relieving medications to block nerve damage pain.
• Physical Therapy: Physical therapy enables you to build strength and improve or maintain the flexibility of your spine.
• Decompression: A minimally invasive operation to take out a section of a ligament that's been thickened, which may be compressing your nerves. Our team only recommends this procedure if a stiff or thick ligament is the root cause of your spinal stenosis.
• Surgery: In certain cases, our team will recommend minimally invasive surgery for stenosis of the spine (such as with a spinal fusion operation). In multiple instances, spinal stenosis surgery can be available as an outpatient option.