Rhizotomy and why they are needed
The human spine is made up of many independent parts. Most people are aware of the existence of vertebrae and the intervertebral disc material, but they only make up a portion of the entire spine.
There are many different spine difficulties that can affect our health and lead to symptoms such as pain, numbness and tingling. One of the issues that is experienced by many people, however, the spinal stenosis. This takes place when the area within the spine narrows and pressure is put on the spinal cord. It can take place in any part of the back but less common areas that are affected are the lower back as well as cervical, or neck area. It can be a debilitating condition.
Although spinal stenosis can commonly cause severe problems with pain, it is interesting to note that not everybody has the issue is going to suffer from pain. As a matter of fact, it can cause a wide variety of symptoms that could include muscle weakness, numbness and tingling. The symptoms that you experience may worsen over time and sometimes, you can experience the most difficulty when you stand up and are standing still for a short amount of time. Sometimes sitting down for only a moment can help to relieve the pain by taking some of the pressure off of the spinal cord.
Stenosis can be caused by a wide variety of reasons including where interior damage that occurs to the spine, often associated with osteoarthritis. Your doctor may suggest a number of options for treatment that could include steroid shots to reduce inflammation and pain as well as possibility for surgery to help open up the spine to a certain extent and allow some of the pressure to be taken off of the nerves and spinal cord.
If you need a doctor because you are suffering from stenosis, the best choice you can make in the Dallas-Fort Worth area is to go with Dr. Dickerman. He is a board-certified neurosurgeon and has helped many people through both nonsurgical and surgical choices that have worked well for them with great success. Dr. Dickerman is one of the leading neurosurgeons in the United States so the fact that you look close to him if you are in Richardson, Plano or Frisco can really work to your benefit.
A herniated disc is one of the more common issues that can lead to stenosis. Those discs can crack due to trauma or because they dry out as we get older. When that happens, some of the inner material can leak out and put pressure on the nerve along with compressing the spinal cord. The bone may also grow in the area due to osteoarthritis and bone spurs can lead to stenosis as well. Other conditions that can lead to this problem include tumors, injuries to the spine and second ligaments.
People tend to have stenosis when they get older although it can happen to people of any age. When you suffer from these difficulties, Dr. Dickerman can help you with a prognosis and treatment solutions that will work the best for your particular case.