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2014 Washington Street
Newton, MA 02462
617-243-6000
Open 24 hoursLab Hours and Holiday Hours Vary
307 W Central St
Natick, MA 01760
617-243-5345
159 Wells Ave
Newton Centre, MA 02459
617-243-5777
111 Norfolk Street
Walpole, MA 02081maps
978 Worcester Road (rte 9)
Wellesley, Massachusetts 02482
781-235-5200
Open 24 hours
Lab Hours and Holiday Hours Vary
25 Washington Street
Wellesley, Massachusetts 02481
617-219-1520
9 Hope Ave
Waltham, MA 02453
617-243-5590
Monday through Saturday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm
Sunday: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
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Low back pain affects four out of five people. The most common symptom of a herniated disk is sciatica - a sharp, often shooting, pain that extends from the buttocks down the back on one leg. It is caused by pressure on the spinal nerve. Other symptoms include:
Degenerative changes may also lead to abnormal motion between the vertebrae (instability). Degenerative changes in the lower back can lead to forward slippage of one vertebra on another, a painful condition called spondylolisthesis.
As with pain in the lower back, neck pain is also common. When pressure is placed on a nerve in the neck, it causes pain in the muscles between your neck and shoulder (trapezius muscles). The pain may shoot down the arm. The pain may also cause headaches in the back of the head. Other symptoms include:
When conservative measures fail to relieve pain your physician may recommend surgery.
Spinal fusion surgery takes about two to three hours and requires about a three day Hospital stay. Patients are admitted the morning of surgery.
Routine care after spine surgery involves wound care, pain management and physical therapy.
Recovering from spine surgery depends on your general health before the procedure and your level of activity. The goal of recovery is to comfortably return to the activities of daily living that are important to you. While most spine surgery is successful in relieving pain and/or improving movement, recovery does take time. Nerve root discomfort may take time to heal.
By your first postoperative visit, pain at your incision should be at a minimum. Leg pain should be improved and most patients, while still experiencing back pain, will admit to slowly diminishing discomfort. Depending upon the problem, most patients experience back pain improvement compared to preoperative pain three to six months after surgery.
To learn more about spine surgery or make an appointment, please contact the Spine Center at 617-243-5777.