BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuForaminotomyIntervertebral foramina; Spine surgery - foraminotomy; Back pain - foraminotomy; Stenosis - foraminotomyForaminotomy is surgery that widens the opening (the foramen) in your spine where nerve roots leave your spinal canal. You may have a narrowing of the nerve opening (foraminal stenosis). Description Foraminotomy takes pressure off the nerve coming out of your spinal column. This reduces any pain you were having. Foraminotomy can be performed on any level of the spine.You will be asleep and feel no pain (general anesthesia).General anesthesiaGeneral anesthesia is treatment with certain medicines that puts you into a deep sleep-like state so you do not feel pain during surgery. After you ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article During surgery:You usually lie on your belly or sit up on the operating table. A cut (incision) is made in the middle of the back of your spine. The length of the incision depends on how much of your spinal column will be operated on. Skin, muscles, and ligaments are moved to the side. Your surgeon may use a surgical microscope to see inside your back. Some bone is cut or shaved away to widen the nerve root opening (foramen). Any disk fragments are removed. Other bone may also be removed at the back of the vertebrae to make more room (laminotomy or laminectomy). LaminotomyDiskectomy is surgery to remove all or part of the cushion that helps support part of your spinal column. These cushions are called disks, and they ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article LaminectomyLaminectomy is surgery to remove the lamina. This is part of the bone that makes up a vertebra in the spine. Laminectomy may also be done to remove...Read Article Now Book Mark Article The surgeon may do a spinal fusion to make sure your spinal column is stable after surgery. Spinal fusionSpinal fusion is surgery to permanently join together two or more bones in the spine so there is no movement between them. These bones are called ve...Read Article Now Book Mark Article The muscles and other tissues are put back in place. The skin is sewn together. Why the Procedure Is Performed A bundle of nerves (nerve root) leaves your spinal cord through openings in your spinal column. These openings are called the neural foramens. When the openings for the nerve root become narrow, it can put pressure on your nerve. This condition is called foraminal spinal stenosis.Spinal stenosisSpinal stenosis is narrowing of the spinal column that causes pressure on the spinal cord, or narrowing of the openings (called neural foramina) wher...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Related video goes here for no-HTML5 browsersThis surgery may be considered if you have severe symptoms that interfere with your daily life. Symptoms include:Pain that may be felt in your thigh, calf, lower back, shoulder, arms or hands. The pain is often deep and steady. ShoulderShoulder pain is any pain in or around the shoulder joint.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Pain when doing certain activities or moving your body a certain way. Numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness. Numbness, tinglingNumbness and tingling are abnormal sensations that can occur anywhere in your body, but they are often felt in your fingers, hands, feet, arms, or le...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Problems walking or holding things. Risks Risks of anesthesia and surgery in general are:Reactions to medicines or breathing problems Breathing problemsBreathing difficulty may involve:Difficult breathing Uncomfortable breathingFeeling like you are not getting enough airRead Article Now Book Mark Article Bleeding, blood clots, or infection BleedingBleeding is the loss of blood. Bleeding may be:Inside the body (internal)Outside the body (external)Bleeding may occur:Inside the body when blood le...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Blood clotsBlood clots are clumps that occur when blood hardens from a liquid to a solid. A blood clot that forms inside one of your veins or arteries is calle...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Risks of foraminotomy are:Infection in the wound or vertebral bones Damage to a spinal nerve, causing weakness, pain, or loss of feeling Instability of the spine that may require more surgery Partial or no relief from pain after surgery Return of back pain in the future Before the Procedure You will have an MRI or CT scan to make sure foraminal stenosis is causing your symptoms and to determine its exact location. You may also have an injection to the nerve to confirm the location of the compression.MRIA magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is an imaging test that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to create pictures of the body. It does not us...Read Article Now Book Mark Article CT scanA computed tomography (CT) scan is an imaging method that uses x-rays to create pictures of cross-sections of the body. Related tests include:Abdomin...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Tell your surgeon or nurse if:You are or could be pregnant You are taking any medicines, including illicit drugs, supplements, or herbs you bought without a prescription You have been drinking a lot of alcohol, more than 1 or 2 drinks a dayPlanning for your surgery:If you have diabetes, heart disease, or other medical conditions, your surgeon may ask you to see the provider who treats you for these conditions. DiabetesDiabetes is a long-term (chronic) disease in which the body cannot regulate the amount of sugar in the blood.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Heart diseaseCoronary heart disease is a narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is also called co...Read Article Now Book Mark Article If you smoke, it's important to cut back or quit. Smoking can slow healing and increase the risk for blood clots. Ask your provider for help quitting smoking. Smoking can slow healing and increase t...Quitting smoking and other nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, before surgery can improve your recovery and outcome after surgery. Most people...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Quitting smokingThere are many ways to quit smoking. There are also resources to help you. Family members, friends, and co-workers may be supportive. But to be su...Read Article Now Book Mark Article If needed, prepare your home to make it easier to recover after surgery. Prepare your homeGetting your home ready after you have been in the hospital often requires much preparation. Set up your home to make your life easier and safer when...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Ask your surgeon if you need to arrange to have someone drive you home after your surgery.During the week before your surgery:You may be asked to temporarily stop taking medicines that keep your blood from clotting. These medicines are called blood thinners. This includes over-the-counter medicines and supplements such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), and vitamin E. Many prescription medicines are also blood thinners. Ask your surgeon which medicines you should still take on the day of surgery. Let your surgeon know about any illness you may have before your surgery. This includes COVID-19, a cold, flu, fever, herpes breakout, or other illness. If you do get sick, your surgery may need to be postponed.COVID-19Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that causes fever, coughing, and shortness of breath, but many other symptoms can occur....Read Article Now Book Mark Article ColdThe common cold most often causes a runny nose, nasal congestion, and sneezing. You may also have a sore throat, cough, headache, or other symptoms....Read Article Now Book Mark Article FluThe flu (influenza) is a viral respiratory illness that causes fever, chills, runny nose, body aches, and cough. It spreads easily from person to pe...Read Article Now Book Mark Article On the day of surgery:Follow instructions about when to stop eating and drinking. Take the medicines your surgeon told you to take with a small sip of water. Follow instructions on when to arrive at the hospital. Be sure to arrive on time. After the Procedure You will likely wear a soft neck collar afterward if the surgery was on your neck. Most people are able to get out of bed and sit up within 2 hours after surgery. You will need to move your neck carefully.You should be able to leave the hospital the day after the surgery. At home, follow instructions on how to care for your wound and back. Care for your wound and backYou were in the hospital for spine surgery. You probably had a problem with one or more disks or spine bones. A disk is a piece of cartilage that s...Read Article Now Book Mark Article You should be able to drive within a week or two and resume light work after 4 weeks. Outlook (Prognosis) Foraminotomy for spinal foraminal stenosis will often provide full or partial relief from symptoms.Future spine problems are possible for people after spine surgery. If you had foraminotomy and spinal fusion, the spinal column above and below the fusion could have problems in the future. You may have more of a chance of future problems if you needed more than one kind of procedure in addition to the foraminotomy (laminotomy, laminectomy, or spinal fusion).Open ReferencesReferencesCasper DS, Maslak JP, Pelle D. Posterior cervical decompressions: cervical laminectomy and laminoforaminotomy. In: Steinmetz MP, Berven SH, Benzel EC, eds. Benzel's Spine Surgery. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 105.Derman PB, Rihn J, Albert TJ. Surgical management of lumbar spinal stenosis. In: Garfin SR, Eismont FJ, Bell GR, Fischgrund JS, Bono CM, eds. Rothman-Simeone and Herkowitz's The Spine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 63.AllVideoImagesTogRelated Information Spinal stenosis(Condition)Sciatica(Condition)Taking care of your back at home(Special Topic)Spinal fusion(Surgery)Neck pain(Symptoms)Diskectomy(Surgery)Laminectomy(Surgery)Low back pain - acute(Condition)Low back pain - chronic(Condition)Spine surgery - discharge(Discharge)Back pain and sciatica - InDepth(In-Depth) Review Date: 11/7/2024 Reviewed By: C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. 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ForaminotomyIntervertebral foramina; Spine surgery - foraminotomy; Back pain - foraminotomy; Stenosis - foraminotomyForaminotomy is surgery that widens the opening (the foramen) in your spine where nerve roots leave your spinal canal. You may have a narrowing of the nerve opening (foraminal stenosis). Description Foraminotomy takes pressure off the nerve coming out of your spinal column. This reduces any pain you were having. Foraminotomy can be performed on any level of the spine.You will be asleep and feel no pain (general anesthesia).General anesthesiaGeneral anesthesia is treatment with certain medicines that puts you into a deep sleep-like state so you do not feel pain during surgery. After you ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article During surgery:You usually lie on your belly or sit up on the operating table. A cut (incision) is made in the middle of the back of your spine. The length of the incision depends on how much of your spinal column will be operated on. Skin, muscles, and ligaments are moved to the side. Your surgeon may use a surgical microscope to see inside your back. Some bone is cut or shaved away to widen the nerve root opening (foramen). Any disk fragments are removed. Other bone may also be removed at the back of the vertebrae to make more room (laminotomy or laminectomy). LaminotomyDiskectomy is surgery to remove all or part of the cushion that helps support part of your spinal column. These cushions are called disks, and they ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article LaminectomyLaminectomy is surgery to remove the lamina. This is part of the bone that makes up a vertebra in the spine. Laminectomy may also be done to remove...Read Article Now Book Mark Article The surgeon may do a spinal fusion to make sure your spinal column is stable after surgery. Spinal fusionSpinal fusion is surgery to permanently join together two or more bones in the spine so there is no movement between them. These bones are called ve...Read Article Now Book Mark Article The muscles and other tissues are put back in place. The skin is sewn together. Why the Procedure Is Performed A bundle of nerves (nerve root) leaves your spinal cord through openings in your spinal column. These openings are called the neural foramens. When the openings for the nerve root become narrow, it can put pressure on your nerve. This condition is called foraminal spinal stenosis.Spinal stenosisSpinal stenosis is narrowing of the spinal column that causes pressure on the spinal cord, or narrowing of the openings (called neural foramina) wher...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Related video goes here for no-HTML5 browsersThis surgery may be considered if you have severe symptoms that interfere with your daily life. Symptoms include:Pain that may be felt in your thigh, calf, lower back, shoulder, arms or hands. The pain is often deep and steady. ShoulderShoulder pain is any pain in or around the shoulder joint.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Pain when doing certain activities or moving your body a certain way. Numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness. Numbness, tinglingNumbness and tingling are abnormal sensations that can occur anywhere in your body, but they are often felt in your fingers, hands, feet, arms, or le...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Problems walking or holding things. Risks Risks of anesthesia and surgery in general are:Reactions to medicines or breathing problems Breathing problemsBreathing difficulty may involve:Difficult breathing Uncomfortable breathingFeeling like you are not getting enough airRead Article Now Book Mark Article Bleeding, blood clots, or infection BleedingBleeding is the loss of blood. Bleeding may be:Inside the body (internal)Outside the body (external)Bleeding may occur:Inside the body when blood le...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Blood clotsBlood clots are clumps that occur when blood hardens from a liquid to a solid. A blood clot that forms inside one of your veins or arteries is calle...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Risks of foraminotomy are:Infection in the wound or vertebral bones Damage to a spinal nerve, causing weakness, pain, or loss of feeling Instability of the spine that may require more surgery Partial or no relief from pain after surgery Return of back pain in the future Before the Procedure You will have an MRI or CT scan to make sure foraminal stenosis is causing your symptoms and to determine its exact location. You may also have an injection to the nerve to confirm the location of the compression.MRIA magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is an imaging test that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to create pictures of the body. It does not us...Read Article Now Book Mark Article CT scanA computed tomography (CT) scan is an imaging method that uses x-rays to create pictures of cross-sections of the body. Related tests include:Abdomin...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Tell your surgeon or nurse if:You are or could be pregnant You are taking any medicines, including illicit drugs, supplements, or herbs you bought without a prescription You have been drinking a lot of alcohol, more than 1 or 2 drinks a dayPlanning for your surgery:If you have diabetes, heart disease, or other medical conditions, your surgeon may ask you to see the provider who treats you for these conditions. DiabetesDiabetes is a long-term (chronic) disease in which the body cannot regulate the amount of sugar in the blood.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Heart diseaseCoronary heart disease is a narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is also called co...Read Article Now Book Mark Article If you smoke, it's important to cut back or quit. Smoking can slow healing and increase the risk for blood clots. Ask your provider for help quitting smoking. Smoking can slow healing and increase t...Quitting smoking and other nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, before surgery can improve your recovery and outcome after surgery. Most people...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Quitting smokingThere are many ways to quit smoking. There are also resources to help you. Family members, friends, and co-workers may be supportive. But to be su...Read Article Now Book Mark Article If needed, prepare your home to make it easier to recover after surgery. Prepare your homeGetting your home ready after you have been in the hospital often requires much preparation. Set up your home to make your life easier and safer when...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Ask your surgeon if you need to arrange to have someone drive you home after your surgery.During the week before your surgery:You may be asked to temporarily stop taking medicines that keep your blood from clotting. These medicines are called blood thinners. This includes over-the-counter medicines and supplements such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), and vitamin E. Many prescription medicines are also blood thinners. Ask your surgeon which medicines you should still take on the day of surgery. Let your surgeon know about any illness you may have before your surgery. This includes COVID-19, a cold, flu, fever, herpes breakout, or other illness. If you do get sick, your surgery may need to be postponed.COVID-19Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that causes fever, coughing, and shortness of breath, but many other symptoms can occur....Read Article Now Book Mark Article ColdThe common cold most often causes a runny nose, nasal congestion, and sneezing. You may also have a sore throat, cough, headache, or other symptoms....Read Article Now Book Mark Article FluThe flu (influenza) is a viral respiratory illness that causes fever, chills, runny nose, body aches, and cough. It spreads easily from person to pe...Read Article Now Book Mark Article On the day of surgery:Follow instructions about when to stop eating and drinking. Take the medicines your surgeon told you to take with a small sip of water. Follow instructions on when to arrive at the hospital. Be sure to arrive on time. After the Procedure You will likely wear a soft neck collar afterward if the surgery was on your neck. Most people are able to get out of bed and sit up within 2 hours after surgery. You will need to move your neck carefully.You should be able to leave the hospital the day after the surgery. At home, follow instructions on how to care for your wound and back. Care for your wound and backYou were in the hospital for spine surgery. You probably had a problem with one or more disks or spine bones. A disk is a piece of cartilage that s...Read Article Now Book Mark Article You should be able to drive within a week or two and resume light work after 4 weeks. Outlook (Prognosis) Foraminotomy for spinal foraminal stenosis will often provide full or partial relief from symptoms.Future spine problems are possible for people after spine surgery. If you had foraminotomy and spinal fusion, the spinal column above and below the fusion could have problems in the future. You may have more of a chance of future problems if you needed more than one kind of procedure in addition to the foraminotomy (laminotomy, laminectomy, or spinal fusion).Open ReferencesReferencesCasper DS, Maslak JP, Pelle D. Posterior cervical decompressions: cervical laminectomy and laminoforaminotomy. In: Steinmetz MP, Berven SH, Benzel EC, eds. Benzel's Spine Surgery. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 105.Derman PB, Rihn J, Albert TJ. Surgical management of lumbar spinal stenosis. In: Garfin SR, Eismont FJ, Bell GR, Fischgrund JS, Bono CM, eds. Rothman-Simeone and Herkowitz's The Spine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 63.
