NEW JERSEY COPS ■ MARCH 2014
77
Modern approaches to traditional surgery
The spine is an immensely complex system of
the human body. A patient’s spine can have multiple problems. Spinal discs can become bulged
or herniated through trauma, or degenerate naturally over time. Sensory nerves can be irritated
by bone spurs or spinal canal narrowing, causing
radiating pain to the extremities. Individual vertebrae can become cracked, misaligned, or broDR. KAIXUAN ken. These problems can cause pain levels that
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range from slight tingling to complete incapacitation.
It’s a spine professional’s job to diagnose the cause of the pain
and create a treatment plan befitting the problem. Before considering surgery, patients are recommended to try chiropractic treatments, physical therapy, acupuncture, and spinal injections in an
attempt to resolve the situation before surgery is needed. A patient
should only pursue surgery after all conservative avenues have
failed.
The Traditional Model
Traditional open back or neck surgery is generally regarded as
a last resort for patients. Open back and neck procedures use incisions ranging 4-8 inches to grant visual access of the target area
of the spine. Muscle, fat, tissue, and occasionally bone is cut or
removed in order to allow the surgeon to see the target area and
perform the surgery. After the procedure is complete, the incision
must be stitched, and the patient begins their extended hospital
stay.
During recovery the patient can be bedridden or restricted
from certain daily activities for as long as eight months to avoid
rupturing stitches and aggravating the surgery site. Throughout
this recovery period, a patient can expect to undergo multiple sessions of physical therapy in order to strengthen the core muscles
that were damaged during the procedure. Open surgeries have
several possible adverse side effects associated with them. These
include large amounts of blood loss, high risk of infection and
potentially permanent muscle weakness at the surgical site.
With the busy lifestyle of today’s working professionals, months
of recovery without bei