Laminectomy is surgery that creates space by removing the lamina — the back part of a vertebra that covers your spinal canal. Also known as decompression surgery, laminectomy enlarges your spinal canal to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves.

This pressure is most commonly caused by bony overgrowths within the spinal canal, which can occur in people who have arthritis in their spines. These overgrowths are sometimes referred to as bone spurs, but they're a normal side effect of the aging process in some people.

aminectomy is generally used only when more-conservative treatments — such as medication, physical therapy or injections — have failed to relieve symptoms. Laminectomy may also be recommended if symptoms are severe or worsening dramatically.

I have walked in your shoes but with different surgeries, yes plural. I know everyone says sue sue. It doesn't work that way trust me. In Indiana you have to go in front of a panel and they decide whether or not you can sue for malpractice. You sign a release before you go in. I went for gall bladder removal and came out in major pain and told them something was wrong. They sent me home. Two hours later I was in the ER where knowing I had surgery earlier let me sit for like 18 hours saying I was a baby and couldn't take the pain. Well long story short the surgeon left the clips off my bile duct nicked my liver and mt bowel causing me to get sepsis. A new surgeon just coming on shift noticed my dissented stomach. They cut me from sternum to hairline to clean my insides out. I woke several days later. I can not sue they denied me even after the hospital let me sit had they done something when I went back I might not be in this shape. My pain never subsided and continued to get worse until I could no longer walk my job. That was May 5th 2011. I finally had my hearing for SSD and was awarded SSI and have to go back again to fight the decline of SSD

@A MyFibroTeam Member
I didn't know what it was so I looked it up, so if others don't know what it means check my post above this one! Good luck ... to anybody that needs to get that procedure done!

Mentioned Users

A MyFibro...

So sorry to hear you were one of the ones that ended up damaged for life. My husband at 85 is considering knee replacement now because he can't even walk across the room. With his hear problems the doctor told him.... what good is good knees if you have a stroke? So, we are very unsure of which way to go. Heart doctor says he'd be ok.

Never know there is always a chance with surgery. You hope and pray you won't be one of the unlucky ones!

Prayers for you.....

The best advice I can give anyone re back surgery is to thoroughly research the surgeon doing the operation. When I had neck surgery, a neurosurgeon did the work accompanied by a spinal expert. While the surgeon performed the operation, the spinal expert - PHD- watched my spinal cord through a microscope to ensure that the spinal cord would not be damaged during the surgery. Three discs were replaced. The surgery and recovery was 100% successful. No more pain or unexpected complications.
I did not take these precautions when I had back surgery. I was lazy and totally relied on the orthopedic back surgeon. This was a big mistake. Yes, the original pain went away but I came out of that surgery much much worse than before the surgery.

See my story above in the updates.

I will probably never walk normally again or have a colon that functions properly due to a simple mistake this surgeon made. I’ve been healthy my entire life. Now I cannot walk any further than 2 blocks without experiencing Level 5 pain. I am now a crippled woman who has experienced multiple side effects as a result of the meds I’ve experimented with to counter the pain and abnormal colon conditions. I no longer trust any doctor and totally rely on my own research.
Good luck to those of you considering back surgery. Do your homework first.