Ormiston Hospital Spinal Surgery

Discectomy

An incision (cut) is made over the relevant part of the spine and the bulging part of the painful disc is cut off and removed.

Open discectomy – involves making an incision (cut) over the vertebra and stripping back the muscles to expose the herniated disc. The entire disc, or parts of it are removed, thus relieving pressure on the spinal nerves.

Microdiscectomy – this is a ‘minimally invasive’ surgical technique, meaning it requires smaller incisions and no muscle stripping is required. Tiny, specialised instruments are used to remove the disc or disc fragments.

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https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/private/spinal/ormiston-hospital-spinal-surgery/