Buttock Pain After Discectomy Surgery

Post-op pain after spine surgery is to be expected in small amounts. But what if you start experiencing long-lasting pain that persists for weeks and months after your surgery? In this article, we are going to walk through the potential causes of buttock pain after spinal discectomy surgery.

What is a Discectomy?

Spinal discectomy surgery is a minimally invasive keyhole procedure in which a surgeon removes all or part of a disc in the patient’s spine. This surgery can help relieve pain from a pinched nerve in the spine or a degenerative disc issue. If the entire disc is being removed, discectomies are typically coupled with a fusion procedure (in which the adjacent vertebrae are fused together for stability) or a disc replacement procedure (in which an artificial disc is placed in the spine).

Causes of Buttock Pain Post-Discectomy

Buttock pain after a minimally invasive keyhole discectomy procedure is most often nerve-related. Discectomy surgery requires your surgeon to make a small incision and navigate carefully around the muscles and nerves of the spine in order to reach the spinal disc(s) in need of removal. This navigation and surgical trauma typically results in some pain and numbness while the patient recovers. Some pain in the back or buttock region post-op is completely normal. However, if the pain persists or gets worse over time, there might be some other issue at play, such as a pinched nerve or sciatica pain. These conditions will typically not resolve on their own, and will require additional treatment – potentially an additional surgical procedure.

The best way to avoid pain and other issues after surgery is to choose a procedure that has minimal risk. Inspired Spine has pioneered minimally invasive keyhole spinal procedures that are revolutionizing the world of surgery. Our surgeries have the shortest operating times, least risk, and quickest recovery periods of any available spine surgery. If you need spine surgery, consider an Inspired Spine procedure. Contact us today with any questions about these surgeries, or find a surgeon near you who is trained in Inspired Spine methods.