Laminectomy is a form of spinal decompression used to treat spinal stenosis, a condition involving a narrowing of the spinal canal.
Spinal stenosis can cause pressure and pinching of the spinal nerves, which can result in chronic pain, numbness, and muscle weakness in the arms or legs. A laminectomy can be performed anywhere along the spine, from the neck (cervical spine) to the lower back (lumbar spine).
During a laminectomy a surgical removal of bone is performed to obtain access to the spinal canal so that nerves and/or spinal cord can have existing pressure areas removed. Things such as bone spurs, tumors or herniated intervertebral discs can cause pressure on a nerve or the spinal cord. Sometimes, the operation is not expected to relieve symptoms, but is performed to prevent the area from deteriorating any further. In this case, your original symptoms can remain, but not get any worse.