A bone spur forms when a disc has deteriorated in the spine. These bony protrusions develop as a response to inflammation and friction caused by bone-on-bone contact in an attempt to stabilize the spine. Typically bone spurs are not harmful. However, when a bone spur compresses a nerve root or spinal cord in the spinal canal, then debilitating symptoms can develop, such as pain, numbness, weakness, tingling and restricted range of motion. To learn when a surgical procedure becomes necessary for bone spur relief, read the following article.

Conservative bone spur treatments

Before attempting surgical intervention, conservative care is usually recommended to help you find relief. This may include pain medication, physical therapy, chiropractic care, steroid injections, anti-inflammatories and low-impact exercises. However, if you do not experience adequate relief after several weeks or months of nonsurgical therapy, then a surgical bone spur procedure may be required. If this is the case for you, contact USA Spine Care to learn about our minimally invasive bone spur procedures.

Bone spur procedures at USA Spine Care

At USA Spine Care, we offer a variety of surgical bone spur procedures based on the severity of your condition. Our decompression procedures include:

• Foraminotomy. This procedure relieves pressure on the nerve root as it exits through the foraminal canal.
• Laminotomy. This procedure relieves the pressure caused by spinal cord compression.
• Discectomy. This procedure removes part of the disc that is bulging or herniating. As a result, the symptoms caused by spinal cord compression are relieved.
• Facet thermal ablation. This procedure is performed most often in conjunction with a decompression procedure. It is used to relieve painful nerves in the facet joint through a laser.

These procedures are all performed through a less than 1-inch incision that does not unnecessarily disrupt the muscles or ligaments surrounding the spine, allowing for a safer and effective alternative to traditional open spine surgery. To learn about what sets USA Spine Care apart as the leader in minimally invasive spine surgery, and to find out if our procedures would be effective for you, reach out to us today. Through a free MRI review, we can determine if you are a potential candidate for our outpatient bone spur surgery.