Thoracic Pain Surgery

Thoracic pain surgery is a treatment option that is rarely used and recommended by doctors. In fact surgical options are only if ever recommended in cases where a patient suffers from upper back pain that is extremely severe and intolerable as well as incurable by non-surgical treatment options.

Usually thoracic pain surgery is recommended when herniated disc leads to spinal cord dysfunction that is medically known as myelopathy and other type of neurological deficits that are progressive.

The most recommended surgical options include decompression procedure that is designed to relive the pressure of the nerve root. Other surgical options include spinal fusion which is considered a minimally invasive back surgery. Khyphoplasty is another surgical option that is used to repair compression fracture to vertebra.

Risks of Upper Back Surgery

Thoracic Pain SurgerySurgical option for upper back pain is not recommended due to the risks that may develop after the procedure. The risks that are generally part of surgery for thoracic spine pain:

  • Infection
  • Bleeding
  • Negative reaction to drugs or anesthesia
  • Heart Attack
  • Development of blood clots in different parts or organs of the body like lungs or legs
  • Stroke
  • Recurrent disc degeneration
  • Severe nerve damage that may lead to paralysis, intolerable pain, weakness, dysfunction of the sexual kind as well as loss of control of bowel or bladder movement

PROGNOSIS AFTER THORACIC PAIN SURGERY

Usually thoracic pain surgery may have different outcomes for different people. Some people report a full recovery while certain patients report suffering from discomforts or complications like the ones mentioned above.

According to a research conducted by specialists on 19 patients who have undergone surgical procedures like the trans-thoracic decompression for thoracic disc herniation or costotransversectomy the following results were found where around 16 patients reported making excellent recovery, 3 of them reported doing poorly( 2 of the 3 patients were in the costotransversectomy group).