A laminectomy is a surgical procedure that removes a portion of the vertebral bone called the lamina. Epidurolysis allows medications to reach affected nerves in the spine so that pain and other symptoms may be diminished.

Following back surgery, scarring is most commonly caused from bleeding into the epidural space as a result of back surgery and the subsequent healing process. It is a natural occurrence following surgical intervention and scarring can also occur when a disc ruptures and the fluid leaks out.

Epidurolysis dissolves scar tissue that forms around entrapped nerves in the epidural space of the spine. The procedure allows pain relief medications such as cortisone to reach the affected areas.

Including conventional thermal and pulsed for peripheral and spinal nerves

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) uses radiofrequency energy to heat and destroy nerves to reduce pain. When a nerve is heated in this manner, it can no longer send pain signals. RFA can reduce pain such as chronic low-back and neck pain and pain related to the degeneration of joints from arthritis. The degree of pain relief varies, depending on the cause and location of the pain. Pain relief from RFA can last from six to 12 months and in some cases, relief can last for years.

TENS is a non-invasive, low-risk nerve stimulation intended to reduce both acute and chronic pain. TENS devices produce electrical current to therapeutically stimulate the nerves. The unit is usually connected to the skin using two or more electrodes and a typical battery-operated TENS unit is able to modulate pulse width, frequency and intensity. Portable TENS devices are available for home use.

TENS units have successfully treated various types of conditions, such as low back pain (LBP), myofascial and arthritic pain, sympathetically mediated pain, neurogenic pain, visceral pain and post-surgical pain.

Neuropathic pain is generated by nervous tissue and it is an adaptive response to nerve injury caused by either the peripheral or central nervous system. Spinal cord stimulation has been used successfully to treat neuropathic pain originating from the peripheral nervous system.

Spinal cord stimulation always involves a short trial conducted with a temporary stimulator to determine whether or not spinal cord stimulation will provide adequate pain relief. The spinal cord stimulator for the trial period is implanted for approximately a week during which:

Leads are placed under the skin and attached to a small device that the patient carries (similar to a cell phone). Using pre-set programs, electrical currents are emitted in a pattern to target the areas of pain, with the goal of giving the best pain relief possible. Preset programs are used to emit electrical currents in a pattern designed to target the areas of pain.

If the patient receives significant relief from pain during the trial, a complete system with a generator device can then be implanted.

A microdiscectomy is typically performed for a herniated lumbar disc and is particularly effective for treating leg pain (radiculopathy).

Compression or impingement on the nerve root can cause substantial leg pain. Microdiscectomy is a minimally invasive procedure in which a small portion of the bone over the nerve root and/or disc material from under the nerve root is removed to relieve neural impingement and provide more room for the nerve to heal.

Although it may take weeks or months for the nerve root to fully heal and any numbness or weakness to improve, patients typically feel leg pain relief almost immediately after a microdiscectomy procedure.

(Call 570-872-9800 – Dr. Artamonov’s Office For More Information)

(Call 570-872-9800 – Dr. Artamonov’s Office For More Information)

(Call 570-872-9800 – Dr. Artamonov’s Office For More Information)

(Call 570-872-9800 – Dr. Artamonov’s Office For More Information)