Diskectomy

Diskectomy is a decompression surgical procedure to remove the damaged portion of a herniated disk in your spine and relieve the symptoms such pain, numbness or weakness affecting neck or back or may radiate down the arms or legs. A herniated disk occurs when the softer material inside the disk pushes out through a crack in the tougher exterior of the spine disk.

Diskectomy works best on radiating symptoms. It’s less helpful for actual back pain or neck pain. Most people who have back pain or neck pain find relief with more-conservative treatments, such as pain medications or physical therapy.

Orange County orthopaedic surgeon Todd Peters, MD performs minimally invasive diskectomy, which uses small incisions and a tiny video camera for viewing, if conservative, non-surgical treatments prove ineffective or if your symptoms worsen:

  • You have trouble standing or walking because of nerve weakness
  • Conservative treatment, such as medication or physical therapy, fails to improve your symptoms after six weeks
  • A disk fragment lodges in your spinal canal, pressing on a nerve
  • Pain radiating into your buttocks, legs, arms or chest becomes too much to manage

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    Orange County orthopaedic surgeon Todd Peters, MD specializes in spinal decompression oand diskectomy in Newport Beach, CA. Call (949) 383-4182 for appointment.