Risks and Postoperative Aspects of Spine Surgery – Dr. Anil Kesani
Dr. Anil Kumar Kesani explains that a critical part of any patient that is considering undergoing spine surgery is that they understand the risks and postoperative aspects of spine surgery. Patients should be familiar with the preoperative process, details of the surgical procedure and the postoperative protocol or expectations.
Anil Kesani, M.D. is a Texas-based spinal surgeon who founded SpineMD in North Richland Hills, Tarrant County close in between the Dallas Fort Worth area who offers a variety of surgical treatment options including minimally invasive spine surgery techniques to treat neck and back issues.
To start with, to understand the risks and postoperative aspects of spine surgery, patients need to understand their spine problem that is leading to their debilitating symptoms. The preoperative requirements or expectations before surgery such as obtaining vital tests such as blood work, chest X-Ray and seeing their primary care physician as well as appropriate specialists to evaluate if they are safe to undergo surgery. Understand the basic concept of the surgical procedure as well as the postoperative or after surgery requirements and expectations such as lifting restrictions and brace use. Lifting is gradually increased to a point where physical therapy can begin and accelerate recovery.
In addition, patients need to be aware of the risks and postoperative aspects of spine surgery associated with the particular spine surgical procedure that they are choosing to undergo. Among the more common complications of the spine following surgery are bleeding, infection, and hematoma, with the latter involving an area of blood that collects around the larger blood vessels. These types of issues can typically be treated quickly and without serious complications arising. More uncommon complications include hardware misplacement and failure, nerve or spinal cord injury, and cerebrospinal fluid leaks. These issues may potentially require undergoing a further surgical procedure in order to correct.
Having this knowledge during the surgical process is key for patients to make decisions that are best for them and to engage in the recovery process optimally.
Describing the process of spinal surgery in a SpineMD YouTube video, Anil Kesani, MD, addresses patients who find it challenging living with disabling pain symptoms.
wMinimally Invasive Spine Surgery – Anil Kesani MD
Dr. Anil Kumar Kesani explains that minimally invasive spinal surgery is superior to traditional open surgery in terms of reduced blood loss, post-operative pain and recovery.
Dr. Anil Kesani is a John Scales Prize-winning orthopedic surgeon affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area of North Richland Hills, Texas. As a surgeon working with SpineMD, Dr. Anil Kesani specializes in minimally invasive and motion-preserving interventions.
The key to enabling a surgeon to perform minimally invasive spine surgery is the equipment or tools that allow smaller incisions, less disruption of soft tissues and accurate localization of structures within the spine.
Several pieces of equipment and tools are critical to enable minimally invasive spine surgery as listed below.
Fluoroscopy
Otherwise known as live X-ray imaging, is an essential part of minimally invasive spinal surgery. A fluoroscopic X-ray device provides images that help the surgeon see the procedure without the need for a large incision. Alternatively, in some instances computer assisted navigation can be used.
Tubular Retractors or Portals
Tubular retractors or portals are small instruments that gently move muscle tissue aside instead of cutting through it to allow the surgeon to access the spine. Surgical instruments can be inserted through the retractors to execute various parts of the spinal procedures.
Specialized Spinal Implants
Specialized spinal implants such as screws, cages, biomechanical devices and rods are often need in conjunction with the equipment above to enable a spine surgeon to perform minimally invasive spine surgery. Also, typically there are associated specialized minimally invasive instruments such as screwdrivers and implant inserters are required.
However, not every spinal procedures can be performed with minimally invasive techniques.
For more information about whether you are suitable for minimally invasive spine surgery, please call SpineMD at (817) 893 6001 to make an appointment to see Anil Kesani MD.
Dr. Anil Kesani explains that 31 million Americans are experiencing back pain right at this moment. 50% of all Americans will have back pain each year and 80% of them will experience back pain at some point in their lives. But it’s not just an American issue. Globally, back pain is the single leading cause of disability and will cause more than 264 million lost workdays in a year in the United States alone. Back pain is a huge problem, not because of the pain alone, but because of the potentially dangerous conditions that cause it. That’s why Dr. Anil Kesani at SpineMD we are dedicated to making sure your back issues get fixed. Before we get started, if you are experiencing serious back pain right now, go ahead and set up an appointment with our top spine specialist, Dr. Anil Kesani. If you just want to get some information, then continue reading on!
Let’s start somewhere simple: what is your back? Dr. Anil Kesani explains that the back is a huge bundle of nerves and bones that supports your body and enables you to move. Within the back is the vital support structure, the spine. As most people know, the spine (or backbone) is responsible for your movement and your back’s ability to bend, twist and support all your weight. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to really move, lift our head or arms or do anything near to what we do now.
But we all know that it’s important, so let’s not go too deep into that. Instead, why don’t we talk about the different regions of your spine and their functions. Dr. Anil Kesani explains that there are 5 regions of the spine: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum and coccyx. The cervical spine is located within your neck and has 7 vertebrae. The main function of your cervical spine is to support your head and give it the freedom to look at its surroundings. Moving down, the thoracic spine is located from your upper to mid back. This part of the spine is responsible for holding your rib cage together and connecting it to the rest of your body and it has 12 vertebrae. Your lumbar spine is your lower back, contains only 5 vertebrae and exists only to support the weight of your body. As it supports all your body weight, it’s also the source of most back pain. In fact, low-back pain costs Americans at least $50 billion in health care costs each year. Our next region is the sacrum which is made up of 5 vertebrae and is the connecting point between your spine and your hips. Finally, your coccyx is made up of 4 vertebrae and is commonly referred to as your tailbone. Altogether, these form the support for your entire body and help you live your life to the fullest.
With all that in mind, here’s a list of some of the common issues that people come to see Anil Kesani M.D at SpineMD for:
Muscle strain or pulled back muscles
Degeneration/arthritis of the spine including disc degeneration, disc bulging, disc herniation (slipped disc) and facet arthropathy
Pinched nerves causing radiating pain or radicular pain
Fractured or broken vertebral bones
Infections
Tumors
Autoimmune conditions
Lumbar sprains and many more
Pain from visceral problems (problems originating from heart, lungs, stomach, pancreas, gall bladder, kidneys, and other abdominal organs). It is crucial to determine if visceral problems are contributing to the back pain, if so timely treatment with an appropriate specialist is essential
If you want to know more about each issue, we’ve done a breakdown already on our neck pain (link blog post here) blog post. Not sure if you should go to the doctor for your back pain? Here’s a few ways to see if it’s serious enough to warrant a visit:
Think back to when it first started hurting, has it gotten worse or not improved within a few days or even weeks? If it’s gotten worse or hasn’t improved, you need to get an appointment soon. You could have a serious condition or injury that needs to be taken care of ASAP.
Are you feeling sharp pains or throbbing pains? If it’s sharp pains, then you might want to wait a couple days to see if it subsides, but if it’s been chronic, get an appointment anyways. If it’s a dull, throbbing pain that just won’t go away, you need to see a doctor whenever possible. You could have a nerve issue or an injury to your spine or the muscles and ligaments surrounding it.
Have you experienced any weakness, numbness, tingling, or loss of feeling? Any of these symptoms means you need to get an appointment immediately; this could be a sign of something majorly wrong with your spine or back and could have life-changing consequences.
Don’t wait to get help, especially if you think you’re suffering from any of these conditions. Schedule an appointment with our top spine specialist, Dr. Anil Kesani and let us help you live your best life.
About SpineMD
SpineMD is a clinic based in North Richland Hills serving DFW that focuses on spinal care. Our highly trained and experienced physician Dr. Anil Kesani specialize in the treatment of all types of spine problems including back pain, neck pain, slipped or herniated disc disease, disc degeneration, pinched nerves and many more conditions. Our physicians are experts in the latest nonsurgical and surgical care including minimally invasive spine surgery, disc replacements, stem cell use among others as well as complex/redo spine surgery.
