A laminectomy is the removal of the lamina which is located in the back. This type of surgery which stems from spinal stenosis is common in older people. When treatment and medications cannot help the condition then surgery is the next option. Either a full laminectomy or even a partial laminectomy can be done. The lamina is the very small plate that is located in the back of each vertebra. A full or even partial removal of the lamina can allow access to the patient’s intervertebral disc. The surgical procedure can also alleviate any spinal pressure it may be causing.
 
There are several courses of treatment before surgery would include chiropractic sessions; they may be able to work out some of the pressure you may be feeling in that area. Chiropractors can not give out medicine or even perform surgery; they are like a physical therapy session in the way that any treatment they perform is on physically. As an alternative medicine, acupuncture is said to be a great way to relive the pressure in the back. Acupuncture has been proven to work on the back and it is very soothing, but it can be expensive and not covered by insurance.

Once the surgery is determined to be the only solution, the doctor will go over the procedure with you and what you can expect. The main goal of the surgery is to alleviate the pain the spinal cord. Once the surgery is complete you will experience pain for the next couple of days which is very normal. In some cases, it has been reported that even after the surgery and you are out of the hospital that you may still experience pain. This is called post laminectomy syndrome.

This is common and not to worry, many people who have the surgery feel pain afterwards and they think that the surgery did not work. But everybody is different and they heal and feel pain differently than anyone else. The post laminectomy pain can be alleviated with prescription medicine and with some physical therapy. The pain will eventually subside once you begin to heal. Notify your doctor about any strange pain or any numbness that you may experience.

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