Prognosis

Just like the duration of healing, the prognosis depends on very individual factors, such as mainly the cause and extent of the illness or injury. The danger of squeezed vessels is the death of cells. The blood circulation of our body supplies cells with oxygen.

Without this life supply they die with the consequence of tissue death. Equally dangerous are squeezed nerves, which supply our body with functional commands and send information back to the brain. The longer nerves are restricted, the more the undersupplied muscle loses function and decomposes.

Thus, immediate intervention and filtering out the individually applied therapy measure is crucial for a positive prognosis. In which cases an operation is appropriate is discussed in the next point.

Slight stenoses heal with the help of conservative therapy.
Severe stenoses, which push off vessels and nerves and thus cause severe symptoms that restrict everyday life, are operated on.

OP Indications

A spinal canal stenosis is operated if all conventional measures as described above are unsuccessful or the cause cannot be cured by conservative therapy. One of the most common causes of spinal canal stenosis is degradation processes in old age. A reduction in the height of the vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs and thus a narrowing of the spinal canal is progressive and cannot be cured by conventional therapy methods.

Symptoms can be limited by measures and rapid progression can be stopped, but sooner or later surgery must be chosen. The same applies to the disease of arthrosis, in which joints wear painfully. Both occur mainly in the lumbar spine, where a lot of weight and strain is placed on it, and are rarely found in the cervical spine – but are possible.

It is more likely that spondylolisthesis occurs here due to instabilities or injuries and accidents, which usually have a positive prognosis with conservative therapy. If surgery is not necessary, it should be avoided – especially in the area of the spine. However, if an operation cannot be avoided, there are different methods for the various causes. If instabilities cannot be treated, parts of the spinal column can be stiffened.If bone or other material presses on nerves and vessels, these can be removed surgically. In any case, surgical post-operative treatment is started after the operation in order to regain and retrain functions.