A posterior cervical foraminotomy is a surgical procedure that is performed to relieve pressure on the spinal nerves within the cervical spine. This minimally-invasive surgery can help to alleviate symptoms such as pain, numbness, tingling or weakness in the neck, shoulders, arms or hands that are often caused by a herniated or bulging disk, bone spurs, or spinal stenosis.
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above but don’t know how to help alleviate symptoms, reach out to our team at Orthopedic & Laser Spine Surgery today. We can help you individualize a treatment plan that helps with your symptoms and helps you get back to your daily life without pain or discomfort.
What Is a Cervical Foraminotomy?
Precision Health of Australia defines a cervical foraminotomy as an operation done from the back of the neck to relieve pressure on one or more spinal nerves. It involves removing a small portion of bone and joint which overlie the spinal nerve, as well as any soft tissue which may also be causing compression.
Typically, this type of surgery might be performed on someone with a bulging neck disc. This can happen naturally to some people over time, but it is also possible that someone will have a bulging disc due to trauma, such as a car accident. In either case, it might be necessary to get cervical foraminotomy surgery done to repair that bulging disc. Typically speaking, this surgery will only be done when all other treatment methods have proven unsuccessful for the patient. In this scenario, the patient may have little option but to accept that they need a bulging disc treatment to get the help they need to find relief from the neck pain they are experiencing now.
What Are the Symptoms of a Bulging Disc?
Certain symptoms manifest themselves in a patient that has a bulging neck disc. Noting these symptoms and understanding that you might need surgery to help take care of them is important in making sure you get the treatment you need. A few of the symptoms that you might experience include the following:
- Arm or Leg Pain: For a bulging disc in the neck, it is most common to experience pain in your shoulders or arms. You might also experience shooting pain in those parts of your body when you sneeze, yawn, or have any other type of change in the way that you use your body. Many individuals describe the pain as burning or sharp, shooting pain.
- Numbness or Tingling: Sensations of numbness or tingling in your body are also quite common. The parts of your body that experience the numbness or tingling will likely be close to the affected area (your neck).
- Weak Muscles: A feeling of weakness in the muscles around your neck is also an incredibly common experience for those who have a bulging neck disc in their body. Some might even experience an inability to lift things that they could previously lift due to the weakness in their muscles.
There are a lot of things that you might experience when dealing with a bulging disc in your neck. If you notice any of these symptoms, it is time to get looked over by a professional. Ignoring the symptoms or pretending that they will simply go away on their own will only lead to the problem getting worse for you.
Treatment Options Outside of Cervical Foraminotomy Surgery
Cervical foraminotomy surgery is not the only treatment option for those with a bulging neck disc. It is one option that can help you if you are dealing with a bulging neck disc, but you should know about some of the others.
Pain Medications
You can begin the process of trying to deal with a bulging neck disc with some prescription or over-the-counter pain medications. Depending on the severity of the pain and how it reacts to over-the-counter medications, you might need a prescription painkiller to help take care of the issue.
Physical Therapies
There are certain physical therapy techniques that can be used as well. For example, you might consider some of the following options:
- Hydrotherapy
- Massage
- Osteopathy
Each individual patient should consult with their medical professionals about which therapies might work best for them.
Reduced Activity
It may be necessary to alter one’s activity schedule either temporarily or permanently. For example, some have found benefits to taking away some of their heavy-lifting responsibilities at work. Reducing one’s activity at work or elsewhere means that one can take some of the strain off of their neck and avoid worsening the condition of their discs.
Speak With Our Skilled Team at Orthopedic & Laser Spine Surgery in Florida Today
Our team at Orthopedic & Laser Spine Surgery can provide you with the details you need to know about cervical foraminotomy surgery and other treatment options that are available to you. We will perform a complete examination of your neck and the condition that it is in when you first arrive. Based on this information and other records, we will recommend the specific therapies that you need to feel better.
If you want to start the process of taking care of your bulging discs, call us at (855) 853-6542 or contact us on our website. We can set up your appointment today and begin the initial consultation process.