When Should You Have Spinal Stenosis Surgery?

Spinal stenosis usually occurs as we age. As the spinal canal narrows, pressure increases on the spinal cord and nerves within the spine. The result of this pressure can be tingling, numbness, cramping, loss of sensation, weakness, balance issues, and other symptoms that impact the arms, legs, and back.

Treatment options for spinal stenosis range from pain medicine, antidepressants, physical therapy, steroid injections to reduce inflammation, and surgery. Surgery options can consist of decompression procedures, fusion surgery, and minimal-invasive laser spine surgery.

But how do you know when you should have spinal stenosis surgery?

The most obvious answer is when your doctor or orthopedist recommends surgery. However, if you have not yet been to the doctor, you need to be aware of the warning signs that can require medical attention. Spinal stenosis warning signs can include persistent and ongoing radiating or severe pain that impacts the neck, back, arms or legs, a weakness in the arms or legs which can cause balance issues, loss of sensation in your arms or legs, and loss of bowel or bladder control.

While these factors may not mean that spinal stenosis surgery is required, it is imperative that anyone suffering from these conditions see a doctor or a specialist.

Deuk Spine Institute in Florida works with patients in diagnosing their spinal issues and offers some of the most advanced spinal stenosis treatments in the world. That is why patients and doctors travel hundreds and even thousands of miles to have Dr. Deuk perform minimally invasive spinal stenosis surgery on them.

Below we introduce you to two patients that traveled over 1,000 miles to have a spinal stenosis procedure at Deuk Spine Institute. You’ll learn about their conditions, what led them to select Dr. Deuk, and how much pain they are experiencing after surgery.

Patient 1 - Deep Arm Pain and Stiff Neck

Our patient started having deep arm pain and a stiff neck around Easter, and within a month, the pain subsided. She went back to enjoying life without worry until July when she woke up to excruciating pain that extended from the base of her head all way down her left arm. Her index finger was numb, and her left shoulder blade had a pinching, burning, and aching pain.

The pain was so unbearable that she could not sleep for three days. She knew something was wrong and went to her family doctor. The doctor took an x-ray, noted that arthritis was building up because of her age, and recommended she take ibuprofen.

The extreme pain continued, so she decided to visit a back surgeon. She immediately had an MRI, and the doctor informed her she would need spinal stenosis surgery. Finally, a solution.

However, the type of spinal stenosis surgery recommended for her came with risks. Neck fusion surgery is a complex surgery that can lead to breathing, speaking, and swallowing complications. Concerned about fusion surgery,  our patient searched for a safer, less invasive surgery option, with fewer complications, and a faster recovery time.

Upon joining a Facebook group for people with neck problems, she learned that Dr. Deuk provided a fusion surgery option. So, she watched his spinal surgery videos, researched Dr. Deuk, and listened to the post-surgery interviews. Her conclusion; Dr. Deuk was the right doctor for her even though he was almost 1,500 miles away from Wichita, Kansas.

Dr. Deuk evaluated her condition and recommended minimally invasive spinal stenosis surgery, known as Deuk Laser Disc Repair. This type of advanced endoscopic spine surgery wasn’t available to our patient Kansas. Based on Dr. Deuk’s expertise, success rate, and the Deuk Spine Institute team, she scheduled her surgery.

In September, our patient had her spinal stenosis surgery at Deuk Spine Institute. The following day she returned for a follow-up exam and a video interview in which she said, "It's amazing you don't feel like you had surgery." […] "It's incredible how there is no pain. I don't really think that was possible with surgery, but it is."

Our patient realized she needed spinal stenosis surgery once the doctor was able to see the damage in her discs. She considered fusion surgery but decided on Deuk Laser Disc Repair, a less invasive and faster healing option. Our patient is now pain-free. This quote from the day after her surgery to Dr. Deuk sums up her journey.

"I was in extreme pain before, I mean tear pain I was crying to my husband I've got to do something. Lop of my arm or something, but I need to get rid of this pain. So, I can't thank you enough for ridding the pain and just giving me my life back."

Patient 2: Degenerating Discs

The discs in our patients back were degenerating and causing two significant issues, back pain and a weakening of his right leg, which led to him falling quite often. Our patient, an Orthopedic Surgeon in Canada, knew that his right leg weakness was a sign that he needed to take action immediately.

He needed surgery but wanted a type of surgery not available in Canada, minimally invasive spinal stenosis surgery. Being a medical professional, he had seen that there were often complications with open spine surgery. So, he sought a better way to have his spine fixed.

Even though our patient worked in Canada, he followed Dr. Deuk online. He watched his spine surgery videos and knew that Dr. Deuk was succeeding at curing back pain in his patients. Shortly after contacting Deuk Spine Institute, his surgery was scheduled.

His spinal stenosis surgery took around two hours, but those two hours changed our patients life. The day after the operation, he returned for a follow-up examination and an interview with Dr. Deuk. During that interview, our patient was asked about his pain, and here is his response.

"I have zero pain today."

Dr. Deuk confirmed, "So, your pain is gone?"

"Zero, no gone. It's Zero!"

The interview with our patient was one of the most informative post-surgery interviews we have taped. Because he works with patients in pain almost every day, he shared a unique perspective on pain care and spine surgery in the following statements.

“I don't understand why this [minimally-invasive laser spine surgery] isn’t the standard of care… this is a sea change as well, and what I don’t understand is why that sea change isn’t happening.”

“In my place where I practice, I have patients who have developed weakness and weakness is a surgical emergency and they wait two years before they get microdiscectomy done. I can’t help to think that is criminal.

It saddens me every day to sit and see these patients where I can do nothing. Oh, I can put in some steroids, and I can do some prp around those nerve roots to try and help them a little bit, but there is nothing I can do to change the pain pathology.”

The pain a patient suffers affects your family, job, and everyone around you. our patient said it best, “It's not just my pain, it’s everybody's pain.”

Our patients comments are so accurate. Your pain affects everyone around you, and Dr. Deuk’s advanced laser spine surgery should be the standard of care. Deuk Laser Disc Repair is safer, has a higher success rate, and a faster recovery time than traditional spinal fusion surgery. However, until his advanced laser spine surgery becomes the standard, many patients will need to travel great distances to cure their pain.

When our patient started having weakness in his leg, he knew that the situation was critical. Thankfully, he knew about Dr. Deuk and had spinal stenosis surgery within a timely manner. Now he is pain-free and on his way to a full recovery.

If your doctor recommends spinal stenosis surgery, know that Deuk Spine Institute is ready to help you. We will diagnosis your pain, recommend the best treatment, and get you back to enjoying life.

Complete our Contact Form or call us at 1-800-FIX-MY-BACK today.

The Deuk Spine Institute also provides a Free MRI Review. Let us help determine what treatment is right for you.

View the complete post spinal stenosis surgery videos here
 – Patient 1
.– Patient 2

View Dr. Deuk spine surgery videos on YouTube
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