Why a laminectomy?
A laminectomy is performed to relieve nerve root compression (pinched nerve) on one or more nerve roots in the spinal column. The nerve root compression often causes back and leg pain. The causes of nerve root compression include: • a slipped/ruptured/herniated disc; • spondylosis caused by degeneration of discs accompanied by formation of a bony spur formation; • scar tissue How? Step 1: A laminectomy is performed with the patient lying on his stomach or side and under general anaesthesia. The surgeon (an orthopaedist or a neurosurgeon) reaches the spinal column through a small incision in the back. Step 2: He will use a retractor to spread the muscles of the back apart in order to expose the bony lamina. Step 3: He cuts away part of the lamina to uncover the ligamentum flavum – a ligament supporting the spinal column. Step 4: In the next step he will cut an opening in the ligamentum flavum to reach the delicate spinal canal containing the compressed nerve. Step 5: The compressed nerv