Disc decompression is a surgical procedure performed to alleviate pain caused by pinched nerves. In this procedure, a small portion of the bone over the nerve root and/or disc material from under the nerve root is removed. This gives the nerve root more space and provide a better healing environment.

Between the bones of the spine (vertebrae) there is soft tissue which acts like a shock absorber. Through injury or other causes, some patients have had this material compressed, distorting the shape of the disc and causing the material to create pressure on surrounding nerves (neural impingement). Several conditions may cause such neural impingement, including spinal stenosis, disc herniation, or, rarely, tumors.

A lumbar laminectomy is a surgical procedure that is performed to alleviate pain caused by neural impingement. The laminectomy surgery is designed to remove a small portion of the bone over the nerve root and/or disc material from under the nerve root to give the nerve root more space and a better healing environment.

A laminectomy is effective in decreasing pain and improve functions for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis, a condition that primarily afflicts elderly patients and is caused by degenerative changes that result in enlargement of the facet joints. The enlarged joints then place pressure on the nerves.

The surgical results for a laminectomy are much better for relief of leg pain caused by spinal stenosis, and not nearly as reliable for relief of lower back pain. Although removing the lamina and part of the facet joint can create more room for the nerve roots it does not eliminate the arthritis. Unfortunately, symptoms may recur after several years as the degenerative process that originally produced the spinal stenosis continues.