Men and Women from Vancouver and all across B.C. choose False Healthcare Centre because of board-certified neurosurgeons Dr. Richard Chan and Dr Michael Weber. Dr. Chan and Dr. Weber both have years of experience and excellence in performing back surgeries to bring relief to neck and back pain.
Lumbar Discectomy – Back Surgery
Lumbar discs are the structures that serve as shock absorbers between the vertebrae of the spinal column. Single level spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the lower spinal column. Lumbar discs may herniate creating pressure against one or more spinal nerves causing severe pain, numbness or weakness in the lower back, legs and feet. Chronic pain can develop from this condition.
What to Expect
Minimally invasive lumbar laminectomy and discectomy is an operation performed on the lower spine to relieve pressure on one or more nerve roots. The surgeon reaches the lumbar spine through a small incision in the low back. After the muscles of the spine are spread, the nerve root is exposed by removing part of the bony covering (lamina) which covers the nerve root. This is called a laminectomy. If necessary a portion of the intervertebral disc is then removed taking the pressure off of the nerve root.
Next Steps
If you are ready to discuss your surgery needs with our board certified surgeons, request a consultation today. During your consultation your patient care adviser will discuss:
- Your medical history
- Pre and post-operative care
- Potential risks and complications
Our Surgical Centre was the first Canadian facility to offer back surgery in the ambulatory environment and continues to be a leader in this field of surgery. New technology at the facility enables FCHC’s surgeons to perform a laminectomy endoscopically. Read about our success stories.
43 Comments
Hi there, boy oh boy ! can I ever relate ! well… I HAVEN’T had any opertations… yet ! my dad had 2 and still has pain , but now it’s in his hip down his leg. My story is, in 1991, I was rear-ended 2x’s in 3 months… L4, 5 bulging… Muscular/skeletal trama. But I kept moving and stayed in shape/fit. 4 yrs. later after so many chiropractors,accupucturists,swimming,physio, being put into tradtion. I became very depressed. Went back to original surgeon only to be told , I was inoperable ?? Calisified ? I walked out feeling quite defeated. this was about 1998. during all this time, I refused to take anything other than extra pain tylenol and Naproxen. My poor tummy :O( Ironically I ended up taking drugs.. not the legal kind for 10 months, cause of pain. not proud of it… but I have to admit, it took the pain right away. So, I haven’t touched that stuff since. still only on the Naproxen , now on Lyrica.. Lyrica makes me really dizzy and sleepy, so I can’t have a life during the day if I want to go out !! end of April I got hit on my passenger side… pretty hard. Hit and Run… don’t ask about ICBC !! I didn’t get the plate # !!! just before that, I had a CT scan and exrays, very narrowing of the spine. So I’m told this is spinal stenosis. that’s what my dad has/had. I’m petrified to have surgery, as approx. 80% of people I speak to, and believe me, I DO stop people on the street and politely,sincerely ask them about the cane/or limp they have. Truly, more times , than not it’s back problems ! Surgery WAS done. and the pain HAS lessened. but they still have pain and new pain elsewhere. that’s my fear.. between and betwicks. I will phone and come in to see your facilities, talk about the laser operation.
Another thing I wanted to talk about is: I lost 62lbs. quit smoking… then got hit recently… now gained 22lbs. back. working on loosing more weight but want to talk about laser suction ? fairly new. Question, if someone wants this procedure, should they have back surgery ? and if so, which comes first, and how long in between ?? it would be my tummy ,hip/thighs/bum… maybe.. depends on price of course… and if I can have that much done. because of pain. I’m limited to excercise. I do yoga & TRX very good,google it. and swim,walk, walking hurts after a short time. So I can’t lose the fat I ‘ve just recently lost ! now quickly coming back. funny how our cells remember so well LOL… grrrr. The last accident only exasperated my pain, now more prominent on the right. I have nerve damage in left foot for about 20yrs. sciatica for yrs. it’s something I’ve learnt to live with. Wow, didn’t think I would go on and on… obvious that I’m getting tired of dealing with the pain now… My heart goes out to all of you who suffer with the pain. I ‘ve found myself putting my legs up on the wall with my bum against the wall lying down… is the most wonderful position for me. Wish I could sleep like that !! It’s a yoga position !! try it ! I meditate to relax as well… don”t forget to breath… blessings ~
I have mild DDD throughout my lumbar spine and my L5-S1 herniated disc is healed but I still have numbness in my foot and severe back pain the same as when I had the herniation that wasn’t seen on my second MRI. They neglected to do the T2 weighted views during the MRI. I wonder if that could hide the herniation? Anyway no discogram, abnormal EMG showing disc compression but no surgery here in Toronto. At times like this I wish I had surgery when I had a herniated disc. I can’t work and can barely walk. I wish we had this place where I live. Oh yes I;m broke and can’t travel anywhere to get my back looked at. I’m tired of injections and meds don’t help. Help.
Apparently, as per my GP, CAT scans offer better results than MRIs for back problems (necks are different). For information on back issues I recommend Hamilton Hall’s book. He is an orthopedic surgeon and offers an easy read dealing with typical back problems and how to deal with them.