Age Limit for Spinal Surgery

The most common question is if spinal surgery has any exact age limit for undergoing the process. The back pain, or better said pain in general, does not happen only to a certain age group.

We cannot say that the back pain only happens to the elderly or only the youngsters. Spinal tumor, fractures, and problems with disks are what everyone in any age group can face. There have been successful surgeries as well as failed surgeries, but this does not mean it should not be done at all.

The reason why the back surgery should be avoided is that, it holds many risks simply because it is performed very close to the nerves located close to the spine. The recovery time may take even up to months, depending on the severity of the surgery and the patient’s problem. Patient paralysis can occur too in the process of back surgery.

Nowadays, doctors and surgeons do not advise surgery immediately. They try to calm the pain and help the patient resolve the situation through non-surgical processes, like icing, heating, massages, physiotherapies, and intake of medicine such as ibuprofen. Other processes to  eliminate the pain include injection of steroids and even Botox.

When Surgery Is Necessary

In case the processes mentioned above fail to leave a positive effect, the surgeon decides to take the next step and perform the surgery. There have been negative as well as positive cases of back and spine surgery. Patients above the age of 65 and 80 have been cured with the help of the surgery. The other cases had reported that the chances of the first surgery being successful is not always high. The patients have undergone second and third surgeries post the first surgery as it failed to cure them.

Not only back surgery is used for healing and mending, and implants can help as well. This process is done to correct the shape of the spine, help in giving strength and facilitating the fusion between the two vertebrae.

Back implants do happen with the help of rods, pedicle screws, hooks, and plates.  It is worth noting that the back surgery holds a very dangerous risk: it can cause infection and give the patient another reason to worry about.

What Signals the Necessity of Back Surgery?

How can we know that the patient needs a back surgery? The answer to this question is easy. Before undergoing the surgery, the surgeon might ask the patient to go for MRI tests. Post-test, the result is carefully checked and studied by the respective surgeon, and then they decide whether the patient should go for the surgery or not. However, common cases are overgrowth problems in the bones, or the patient suffering from spinal tumor, fractured spine, deformed spine, and of course, cases of broken vertebrae.

Above all the risks related to this surgery, it is estimated that the back surgeries will increase and the rate will go higher. The doctors have promised to take good care of the patients and provide the best solutions during and after surgeries, so that the patient can stand on their feet sooner than the time expected.

Further details about the back and spinal surgery are available on Health News Center website and can be searched and read for more detailed knowledge and better understanding.