Workers compensation lumbar laminectomy is a surgical procedure to relieve pressure on the spinal nerves. Degeneration, or wear and tear, in the parts of the spine from job duties over time may narrow the spinal canal. This puts pressure on the nerves in the canal. This condition is called spinal stenosis. A laminectomy involves removing a section of the bony covering over the back of the spinal canal taking pressure off the spinal nerves.
Surgeons perform lumbar laminectomy surgery through an incision in the low back. The surgery involves the pedicle and lamina bones. These bones attach to the back of the spinal column, forming a bony ring that encloses the spinal canal. Surgeons may remove bone spurs from the facet joints along the back of the spine during the laminectomy procedure, taking pressure off the spinal nerves.
Lumbar laminectomy can alleviate the symptoms of spinal stenosis, a condition in which the spinal nerves become compressed inside the spinal canal. Wear and tear on the spine from aging and from repeated stresses and strains from heavy labor can cause a spinal disc to weaken. The outer rim of the disc bulges outward, and the disc may eventually protrude or even rupture into the spinal canal, a herniated disc. As a result, the nerves inside the canal are squeezed, leading to low back and leg pain.
Degeneration also causes bone spurs to develop. These spurs commonly occur around the facet joints and along the edges of the vertebrae, hitting a nerve. In a laminectomy, the surgeon removes a section of the lamina bone and any bone spurs, taking pressure off the spinal nerves. This enlarges the spinal canal so the spinal nerves have more room.
Patients are usually able to get out of bed within a few hours after surgery. However, you will be instructed to move your back only carefully and comfortably. Most patients leave the hospital the day after surgery. They are safe to drive within a week or two. People generally get back to light work by four weeks. Heavier work and sports should wait two to three months. Workers whose jobs involve strenuous manual labor may be counseled to consider different work. Outpatient physical therapy usually starts four to six weeks after surgery. Workers comp TTD benefits are there while the worker is unable to return to work.
McCormick Law Office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin attorneys fight hard for workers compensation laminectomy benefits for injured workers. There are temporary total disability, medical bills, permanent partial disability and other workers comp benefits available to workers undergoing a work-related laminectomy. The best workers comp settlement results when the treating doctor gives the opinion that the laminectomy is work-related.
