These Painful Conditions Respond Well to Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

Minimally invasive spine surgery is becoming increasingly popular due to its many benefits, including shorter recovery times, less scarring, and reduced risk of complications. 

Our team at University Pain Medicine Center understands the many facets of painful back conditions. We want you to know the back pain conditions we can treat with minimally invasive spine surgery, giving you the best outcome.

Understanding minimally invasive spine surgery 

This type of surgery involves making small incisions in the skin, allowing your surgeon at University Pain Medicine Center to access your spine using specialized instruments. This surgical technique treats spinal conditions while minimizing the amount of tissue damage caused during the surgery. 

In the past, conventional open spine surgery techniques were the standard; however, they incurred considerable damage to healthy tissue surrounding the procedure site, leading to an extended recovery period often accompanied by severe pain.

Not all spinal conditions are suitable for minimally invasive spine surgery, but let’s look at which ones are.

Conditions to treat with minimally invasive spine surgery

Some of the most common painful back conditions we treat with minimally invasive spine surgery at our practice include:

Herniated disc

A herniated disc is a common spinal condition that causes pain, numbness, or weakness in your arms or legs. It occurs when the outer layer of a spinal disc ruptures, causing the inner substance to protrude. It can put pressure on your spinal cord or nerves, causing pain and discomfort. 

In traditional open surgery, a large incision is made to allow the removal of the damaged part of the disc. However, with minimally invasive spine surgery, we make a small incision and use a special microscope to remove the disc material. Because there is less disruption to the surrounding tissues, you can recover faster and experience less pain.

Spinal stenosis

Spinal stenosis is a condition in your lower back that occurs when your spinal canal narrows, causing pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. This can cause pain, numbness, or weakness in your arms or legs. 

Traditional open surgery to treat spinal stenosis involves removing the bone, tissue, and ligaments that put pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. However, with minimally invasive spine surgery, we can use a special instrument to remove only the part of the bone causing the compression, resulting in less disruption to the surrounding tissues and faster recovery time.

Degenerative disc disease

Degenerative disc disease occurs when the spinal discs lose their cushioning ability. This condition is common in older adults, usually caused by wear-and-tear on the spine over time. 

Traditional open surgery requires a large incision to remove part of the damaged disc. But with minimally invasive spine surgery, we make a small incision and remove the damaged part of your disc with special medical instruments, which results in less pain and a shorter recovery time.

Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a condition that causes the spine to curve to the side, causing pain and discomfort. In severe cases, it can interfere with breathing and other bodily functions. 

Rather than making a large incision to straighten the spine using rods and screws, our minimally invasive procedure allows a special technique called lateral interbody fusion to straighten the spine through a small incision. We remove part of the disc and insert a small device that straightens the spine while fusing the vertebrae.

Compression fractures

Compression fractures occur when the vertebrae in your spine collapse or break, which more commonly happens in older adults. It results in pain and difficulty moving. 

In traditional open surgery, a large incision stabilizes the vertebrae with screws and rods. However, our minimally invasive spine surgery allows us to stabilize the vertebrae without disrupting the surrounding tissues.

Next steps

If you have back pain, reach out to our team to find out if minimally invasive spine surgery might be your answer. Book online or call today at one of our six locations in New Jersey for a comprehensive evaluation.