Two general types of lumbar spine surgery comprise the most common surgical procedures for the lower back:decompression and spinal fusion.
Decompression surgery involves removing a small portion of the bone over the nerve root and/or disc material from under the nerve root to relieve pinching of the nerve and provide more room for the nerve to heal
Lumbar spinal fusion involves using a bone graft to stop the motion at a painful vertebral segment, which in turn should decrease pain generated from the joint. Spine surgery instrumentation (medical devices), bone graft procedures, and the bone stimulator are sometimes used along with spinal fusion surgery.
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