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Spine Surgery Specialist

Lafayette Bone and Joint Clinic

Orthopedic Surgeons & Pain Management Specialists located in Lafayette, LA

When you have chronic back pain and medical interventions fail to provide significant relief from your discomfort, you may need to consider spine surgery. At Lafayette Bone and Joint Clinic in Lafayette, Louisiana, the fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons, Louis Blanda Jr., MD, David Muldowny, MD, and Jayme Trahan, MD, perform spine surgery to ease pain and improve quality of life. The skilled surgeons use innovative tools and techniques for the best outcomes and a faster recovery. Call the office or schedule an appointment online today.

Spine Surgery Q&A

What is spine surgery?

Spine surgery refers to surgical procedures that treat spine conditions. The Lafayette Bone and Joint Clinic surgeons may use traditional open or minimally invasive techniques when performing spine surgery.

Open spine surgery

During open spine surgery, the surgeons make a large incision through your abdomen to access the part of your spine undergoing surgery. 

Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS)

During MISS, the surgeons perform your spine surgery through small incisions using specialized surgical tools, devices, and advanced imaging techniques. 

MISS minimizes damage to your muscles and surrounding structures, which means less post-surgical pain and a shorter recovery time.

Am I a candidate for spine surgery?

The Lafayette Bone and Joint Clinic surgeons conduct a comprehensive evaluation to determine if you’re a candidate for spine surgery. 

Most neck and back pain conditions improve without surgical intervention. However, if medical treatment fails to ease your neck or back pain, you may benefit from spine surgery. Spine conditions that may require spine surgery include:

  • Herniated discs
  • Vertebral fractures
  • Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
  • Spondylolisthesis (vertebral bone slips out of place)
  • Degenerative disc disease


You may also be a candidate for spine surgery if you have cauda equina syndrome or compression of the nerve roots in the lumbar spine. With this spine condition, you may lose control over your bowel or bladder. 

What are the types of spine surgery?

There are many types of spine surgery. The type your surgeon performs depends on your diagnosis and may include:

Discectomy

During a discectomy, your surgeon removes a herniated or damaged intervertebral disc to eliminate nerve compression and ease the pain. 

Spinal fusion

For a spinal fusion, the surgeons fuse two or more vertebral bones in your spine to improve stability and stop painful movements. 

Laminectomy

The surgeons may perform a laminectomy for spinal stenosis, removing a portion of the vertebral arch — lamina — to increase space in the spinal canal. 

Laminotomy

A laminotomy is similar to a laminectomy, but the surgeons remove less of the lamina. 

When possible, the orthopedic surgeons perform spine surgery using minimally invasive tools and techniques.

To schedule your spine surgery consultation with experienced patient-centered surgeons, call Lafayette Bone and Joint Clinic or book an appointment online today.