A microdiscectomy is a minimally invasive, spinal decompression procedure designed to alleviate pressure on a nerve root that is most commonly derived from a herniated disk. Patients who undergo this procedure will often suffer from radiating leg pain for which other, more conservative medical remedies have failed to bring the needed relief. Here, the surgeon makes a very small, “keyhole” incision in the midline of the back, lifts the muscle material off of the vertebrae’s lamina (protective arch), then moves aside the membrane that protects the nerve roots and removes a portion of the facet joint to create more space for the nerve. Next, herniated disk material is cleared from the space around the nerve root where it has been impinging on the nerve. This is one of the most common surgeries performed by spine surgeons today and is done using a surgical microscope or special telescopic glasses worn by the surgeon in order to avoid the need for a larger, wider incision that would require a longer recovery period and possibly more post-surgical complications.
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