Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Specialist

What is minimally invasive spine surgery?

The Total Spine Institute team uses minimally invasive spine surgery as an alternative to traditional open surgery wherever possible.

Open surgery requires extensive incisions that damage the muscles and other soft tissues. That approach can cause considerable postoperative pain and typically requires a lengthy recovery. Minimally invasive spine surgery requires much smaller incisions that cause significantly less tissue damage.

What advantages does minimally invasive spine surgery offer?

Minimally invasive spine surgery offers some substantial advantages over open surgery, including:

• Far less postoperative pain
• Lower risk of infection
• Less blood loss
• Shorter stay in the hospital
• Quicker recovery
• Minimal scarring
• Less reliance on prescription painkillers

These advantages make minimally invasive spine surgery an excellent choice for suitable patients. However, the technique might not be appropriate for some people. Your surgeon at Total Spine Institute explains the best option for you.

What conditions can minimally invasive spine surgery treat?

The Total Spine Institute team uses minimally invasive spine surgery to treat a variety of conditions that cause back and neck pain, including:

• Spinal stenosis
• Herniated discs
• Degenerative disc disease
• Radiculopathy (pinched spinal nerves)
• Spondylolisthesis (slipped vertebrae)
• Scoliosis
• Back instability
• Spinal trauma

As technology advances and surgeons develop better techniques, more conditions become treatable with minimally invasive spine surgery. Total Spine Institute also uses robotic-assisted surgery, controlling a state-of-the-art robotic device to perform the most precise procedures.

What does minimally invasive spine surgery involve?

Minimally invasive spine surgery usually takes place under a general anesthetic, so you sleep through the operation. When performing the surgery, your Total Spine Institute surgeon makes one or more small cuts in your skin. They insert tubular retractors that create a channel down through the muscles to your spine.

The channel gives your surgeon access to the vertebrae and discs. They use a special microscope to see the structures in detail and complete the operation. Afterward, your surgeon removes the retractor, and the muscles move back into place. They close the incision with absorbable sutures on the inside and use surgical glue to seal your skin.

The Total Spine Institute team also performs endoscopic spine surgery, which is a similar process. However, instead of using a microscope, your surgeon uses an endoscope — a flexible instrument with a camera on the end. Using images the camera sends to the screen in the operating room, your surgeon completes the surgery without needing to see your spine directly.

To find out more about minimally invasive spine surgery and how it could benefit you, call Total Spine Institute today or book an appointment online.