Most people really don’t give much thought to the human spine until they are experiencing problems with it. Some of the more common problems associated with the spine include those that affect the lower back and some that affect the neck. The thoracic part of the spine is one that is relatively stable and it tends to be protected from injury in most cases. That doesn’t mean, however, that injury never occurs and sometimes, you may have issues with the lumbar and thoracic spine that are quite severe. One of those problems is a herniated disc.
The vertebrae are all separated from each other by jellylike discs that are known as the intervertebral discs. Each of these discs acts independently of each other and they help the vertebrae to move without coming in contact with each other. They also help to protect the nerves that are traveling out through the area so that nothing rests on them and causes nerve damage or pain. Unfortunately, over the course of time, the discs can dry out and become fragile and when injuries occur, they can degenerate as well.
A herniated disc occurs when the jellylike interior part of the intervertebral disc protrudes through the outer covering. Once that happens, it may come into contact with a local nerve or the spinal cord and that can lead to severe pain, numbness, tingling and weakness in the area and along the nerve. When it occurs in the thoracic spine, the issue can be even more difficult to control and sometimes, the pain is intolerable for the individual who is suffering from it. The disc herniation is not likely to occur in the thoracic spine unless there is an outside source that could include a severe injury in an automobile accident, falling or twisting the back or if you have a disease that affects the thoracic spine.
One of the different procedures that may be considered for this condition includes a lumbar and thoracic microdiscectomy. This is a type of microsurgery that is done in order to reduce the possibility of blood loss, infection, and other difficulties. Microsurgical procedures can also limit the number of difficulties that you experienced during recovery as well. It is done through a very small incision and the disc, or the part of the disc that is touching the nerves are removed. At that point, the incision is closed.
Spine and Neurologic Surgeon
If you need to go through this type of microdiscectomy, you want to ensure that you are doing it through the best surgeon that you can possibly use. Don’t take chances by just going to the first person that you find online. If you live in the Plano and Dallas area, regardless of whether it is Hearst, Prosper or Richardson, you can trust Dr. Rob Dickerman to take care of your needs. He is a board-certified neurologic and spine surgeon and he has been helping people throughout the Dallas Metroplex to deal with these types of spinal problems for quite some time.
