Risks for spine surgery are:

• Infection in wound or vertebral bones
• Blood clots
• Spinal fluid leak
• Bleeding
• Damage to a nerve, causing weakness, pain, or loss of feeling
• Ineffective surgery – partial or no relief of pain

There are many variations of laminectomy. In the least invasive surgery small incisions are made, muscles in the back are pushed aside rather than cut, and the parts of the vertebra next to the lamina are not disturbed.

The conventional laminectomy is a more invasive surgery. In this type of surgery, the lamina is removed, the entire posterior backbone is removed — including the facet joint, and some sections of ligaments and muscles are removed. The usual recovery period depends on which type of laminectomy has been performed: days in the minimal procedure, and weeks to months with the conventional surgery.

If a conventional laminectomy is performed, with removal of substantial amounts of bone and tissue, an additional procedure, called spinal fusion, may be required to stabilize the spine. Laminectomy with spinal fusion requires a longer recovery period. An additional complication with spinal fusion is that your spinal column above and below the fusion is more likely to cause problems in the future, possibly more surgery.

This information is a service provided by TSR Injury Law, a leading personal injury law firm serving Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota. Our partners are experts in spinal injury cases as a result of car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, and workplace injuries. Call 612-362-0000 or submit our free consultation form.