Spine surgery refers to any surgical intervention performed on the spine and related structures that support the body, extending from just under the skull to the coccyx. This surgery is one of the surgical procedures patients are most worried about due to risks such as paralysis and nerve injury. The spine is a complex system with 33 separate bones (vertebrae), joints, discs, spinal cord, and nerves arranged one on top of the other. For the treatment of various spinal curvatures and diseases such as scoliosis surgery, nearly 5 million spine surgeries are performed annually worldwide. Every operation on this sensitive structure must be performed by surgeons who are experts in this field with reliable techniques.
Robotic Vertebrae Surgery
Surgical techniques and technologies are constantly developing to overcome the difficulties in spine surgeries, prevent serious complications such as nerve injury and paralysis, and prevent risks such as infection. Robotic spine surgery is the last point of medicine for reliable and sensitive surgeries.
Robotic spine surgery is one of the latest technologies applied by the world’s leading surgical centers. Clinical studies indicate that sensitive procedures such as screw placement in robotic spine surgery are performed with an accuracy rate of 98% and above. This clearly shows that robotic technology has started a new spine surgery era for patients and surgeons.
The benefits of robotic spine surgery include the following:
- Performing the surgery with high accuracy and precision
- Minimizing risks such as nerve injury and paralysis
- Surgery planning under patient anatomy
- Faster recovery process after spine surgery
- Less pain
- Shorter hospital stay
- High patient satisfaction after surgery
For Which Spinal Diseases Is Spine Surgery Applied?
Doctors perform spine surgery in many cases, such as congenital spinal diseases, structural disorders (deformities) of the spine such as spinal curvatures (scoliosis and kyphosis), infection, herniated disc, or tumor. As with many orthopedic problems, your doctor does not always consider surgery as the first choice for diseases that affect spinal health.
Before deciding on spine surgery, he may recommend physical therapy and exercises, drug therapy, and spinal injections. However, if your complaints persist despite these treatments, if symptoms such as the low back, leg, and neck pain are accompanied by fever, if there is weakness spreading to the arms and legs, bowel and bladder control problems (such as urinary incontinence), pain that makes daily movements difficult, spine surgery is considered.
Spinal diseases that affect spinal health and may require surgery are usually:
- Congenital spinal defects such as spina bifida (split-open spine),
- Arthritic conditions such as ankylosing spondylitis (inflammatory rheumatic disease affecting the spine),
- Spinal curvatures (such as scoliosis and kyphosis),
- Conditions affecting nerves, such as spinal stenosis (narrow canal disease) and sciatica,
- Spine fractures,
- Herniated discs (such as waist and neck hernia),
- Spinal cord injuries,
- Infection,
- Spinal tumors and cancer.
Spine surgeries are a painful surgical process. To achieve the best results with reliable methods, it is vital that a surgical team, who is an expert in spine surgery, has advanced technological infrastructure and experience, and performs the surgery.
What Are the Risks of Spine Surgery?
Like any surgery, spine surgery is a solemn decision. When we look at people who will undergo a surgical operation, it is seen that the decision stage for orthopedic surgeries such as hand, knee, hip, or shoulder surgery is taken more quickly than spine surgeries. When it comes to spine surgeries, complications such as paralysis and nerve injury and possible risks are patients’ biggest concerns. The dangers of spine surgery can be a compelling factor for patients and surgeons from time to time.
Spine surgery is a procedure that requires high precision and experience due to its anatomical proximity to the spinal cord and prominent blood vessels, which are part of the central nervous system. Therefore, complications may be more severe in surgical procedures performed on the spine.
Various factors, such as the patient’s general health and age, medical history, previous surgeries, and medications, affect the risk of spinal surgery.
Is There a Risk of Paralysis After Spine Surgery?
The risk of paralysis after spine surgery is the biggest concern of patients. Our spinal cord extends like a long fiber bundle in the spine; You can think of it as a column of millions of nerve fibers running through the spinal canal. Nerve fibers in the spinal cord branch form a pair of nerve roots that pass through small openings between the vertebrae.
These nerves in each spinal cord area connect to specific body parts. For example, The cervical spine nerves reach the upper chest and arms, the thoracic nerves reach the chest and abdomen, and the lumbar spine nerves reach the legs, bowel, and bladder. These nerves control all organs and parts of the body, allowing us to direct our movements. Therefore, damage to a particular part of the spinal cord during surgery can cause paralysis in certain body parts, depending on which nerves are affected. However, nowadays, these risks are minimized thanks to modern spine surgery techniques and robotic technologies’ development.
Recommendations After Spine Surgery
Bed and sleeping style: The bed should be spring. It is possible to lie on the back or side of the bed and turn over. You should use a pillow containing wool or cotton. It is essential first to sit down and then stand up with support from the arm, as taught when getting out of bed.
Sitting: After the surgery, it is possible to sit upright for short periods by placing pillow support on the waist. Do not sit slumped on low or soft armchairs or sofas.
Toilet: In the first week, sitting on the toilet should satisfy the need for a bathroom.
Bath: On the 1st day after discharge from the hospital, it is okay to take a bath as the wound line is closed and watertight. After seeing the doctor in the first week, the wound can bath even if it is left open.
Walking: It should be increased one week after discharge and done daily.
Driving: After the first week, you could use car for short distances.
Diet: Not gaining weight or losing excess weight is necessary for both waist and general health. For this reason, the diet plan suitable for the patient’s condition should be programmed before leaving the hospital, and if necessary, help should be sought from the diet department.