Foraminal narrowing surgery is a procedure used to create space within the foraminal canal — a canal that can begin to narrow and compress a nerve root. Often, foraminal narrowing, also referred to as foraminal stenosis, is caused by the natural aging process or as the result of another spine condition, such as herniated disc, pushing into the foraminal canal.

If you’ve just been diagnosed with foraminal narrowing, you may be wondering if foraminal narrowing surgery is the only treatment option available to you. For many patients, this condition can be effectively treated with several months of conservative, nonsurgical therapy. However, if these treatments prove ineffective for your condition, you may be recommended for foraminal narrowing surgery to help you find relief from your symptoms.

Where to begin your treatment for foraminal narrowing

Before you consider foraminal narrowing surgery, your doctor will likely recommend a combination of conservative treatments, including one or more of the following options:

• Pain medication
• Physical therapy
• Weight loss
• Stretches
• Behavioral modification
• Hot/cold compresses
• Corticosteroid injections

These conservative therapies are often effective at relieving the pain and symptoms of foraminal narrowing without needing foraminal narrowing surgery. However, if you find that you still have significant pain even after several months of treatment, you may be recommended for spine surgery.

Minimally invasive foraminal narrowing surgery

If you have been recommended for foraminal narrowing surgery, it is important for you to research your options about the types of surgery available to you. The minimally invasive spine surgery at USA Spine Care allows patients to have an alternative option to traditional open neck or back surgery. Our procedures are performed through a small, less than 1-inch incision and use a muscle-sparing technique in order to reduce the risk of complication compared to traditional open neck and back surgery.

To date, our minimally invasive spine surgeries have helped more than 75,000 patients find relief from chronic neck and back pain. Find out if you are a candidate for our minimally invasive foraminal narrowing surgery by contacting our team and requesting a no-cost review* of your MRI or CT scan today.

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