Overview
A laminectomy removes part or all of the lamina (the bony roof at the back of the spinal canal) along with thickened ligament and bone spurs. This makes more room for the spinal cord or nerves.
It is most often used for lumbar spinal stenosis that causes leg pain or heaviness with walking, and for some cases of cervical myelopathy.
Watch and learn
Video: “What is a Minimally Invasive Laminectomy?” from Johns Hopkins Medicine on YouTube. It loads from youtube-nocookie.com only when you press play. Shown for general education; GSMC did not produce it. Watch on YouTube
Video: “Laminectomy - Patient Animation” from Globus Medical on YouTube. It loads from youtube-nocookie.com only when you press play. Shown for general education; GSMC did not produce it. Watch on YouTube
Captions: press the CC button in the video player to turn on captions. Some captions are generated automatically by YouTube and may contain errors.
Who may be a candidate
- Spinal stenosis with leg symptoms that limit walking despite nonsurgical care
- Neurological symptoms such as weakness
- Cervical cord compression in selected cases
- Imaging that matches symptoms
Your exam, imaging and overall health decide whether this surgery is appropriate for you.
How it is done
- General anesthesia; you lie face down.
- An incision is made over the affected levels.
- The surgeon removes the lamina, thickened ligament and bone spurs pressing on nerves.
- If the spine is or could become unstable, a fusion may be added.
- The incision is closed; hospital stay ranges from same day to a few days.
This surgery is usually performed in a hospital, sometimes with an overnight or longer stay. Procedures that are appropriate for outpatient care may be performed at GSMC’s surgery center; others are done in a hospital. Your surgeon will explain what to expect.
Recovery timeline
Walking daily; avoid heavy lifting and twisting.
Return to light activities and desk work for many people.
Further improvement in walking tolerance and stamina.
Recovery depends on the procedure, your health and how many levels are treated. Your surgeon will give you a written plan.
Risks
Every surgery has risks. Your surgeon will review them with you, including:
- Infection, bleeding or blood clots
- Spinal fluid leak
- Nerve injury
- Instability needing later fusion
- Recurrent stenosis over time
Alternatives to consider
- MILD Procedure
- Interspinous Spacer (Vertiflex / Superion)
- Epidural Steroid Injection
- Therapeutic exercise & walking
See all nonsurgical options, or ask for a second opinion.
Who performs it
Call 732-202-3000 to confirm which surgeon performs this procedure and where.
Frequently asked questions
Will I need a fusion too?
Only if there is or is likely to be instability, such as with some types of spondylolisthesis.
How is this different from MILD?
MILD is a smaller, image-guided procedure that removes thickened ligament through a needle-sized portal for selected stenosis patients.
Can stenosis come back?
Narrowing can recur over years at the same or other levels.
This page is general patient education and does not replace advice from your own clinician. Individual results vary. No outcome can be promised.