Neurosurgeon
Neurosurgeon
Treatment / Procedures / Foraminotomy
Targeted enlargement of the opening where a nerve root exits the spine. Relieves compression from bone spurs and narrowing without removing the disc. Niceville, Florida.
Foraminotomy enlarges the bony opening through which a nerve root exits the spinal canal, relieving compression from bone spurs or narrowing that causes arm or leg pain.
A foraminotomy enlarges the foramen, the bony opening on each side of the spinal canal through which a nerve root exits. When that opening narrows from bone spurs, disc material, or arthritis, the nerve passing through it is compressed, producing pain, numbness, or weakness along the path of that nerve.
In the neck, a posterior cervical foraminotomy is a motion-preserving alternative to ACDF for the right patient. It frees the nerve without removing the disc or fusing the level. In the lower back, foraminotomy is usually combined with a laminectomy as part of a broader decompression.
Dr. Enguidanos performs cervical and lumbar foraminotomy at HCA Florida Twin Cities Hospital and Emerald Coast Surgical Center in Niceville, Florida, choosing foraminotomy alone, foraminotomy with fusion, or a front approach based on the specific anatomy.
Foraminotomy is recommended only after appropriate non-surgical care has not resolved the problem. Physical therapy, medication, activity changes, and nerve root injections are evaluated first.
When arm or leg symptoms persist and imaging confirms a narrowed foramen pinching a single nerve, foraminotomy offers targeted relief, often while preserving motion.
For a cervical foraminotomy, a small posterior incision with a tubular retractor reaches the affected level. For a lumbar foraminotomy, it is usually combined with a laminectomy through a posterior or minimally invasive approach.
Using a high-speed drill, the medial part of the facet joint and any bone spurs narrowing the opening are removed. The compressed nerve root is identified and freed until it is fully mobile. The opening is checked to confirm complete decompression and the small wound is closed.
Foraminotomy is one of several ways to relieve nerve compression. The right choice depends on where the nerve is pinched and what is causing it.
Removes a herniated disc fragment pressing on a nerve through a small incision.
Every patient who walks through our door follows the same path. It starts with listening and ends only at surgery if nothing else works.
Dr. Enguidanos meets with you personally. He reviews your imaging, takes your full history, and listens carefully to your lifestyle, your goals, and what has and has not worked so far.
In-person with Dr. EnguidanosSurgery is never the first answer. Before any procedure is considered, every appropriate non-surgical option is explored — physical therapy, medication management, injections, and regenerative medicine.
Physical therapy, injections, regenerative medicineWhen conservative care has been exhausted and surgery is the right answer, Dr. Enguidanos applies thirty years of surgical depth. From minimally invasive procedures to complex deformity reconstruction, every level is handled.
Only when everything else has been consideredDR. STEPHEN T. ENGUIDANOS MD | SPINE SURGERY | NICEVILLE, FL
Your information is private and will never be shared.
DR. STEPHEN T. ENGUIDANOS MD | SPINE SURGERY | NICEVILLE, FL
Your information is private and will never be shared.