A lumbar laminectomy is typically performed to alleviate pain caused by neural impingement that can result from lumbar spinal stenosis. The laminectomy 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.

  

Your surgeon may do a spinal fusion with the laminectomy. During the spinal fusion, your surgeon will join the affected vertebrae by inserting bone graft, then attaching metal rods, plates, and screws in order to better support and strenghten the spine. This procedure can be done in the neck (cervical) or the back (lumbar).