Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

The phrase “minimally invasive surgery” has become a popular buzz word. It’s not often that a surgical technique becomes a popular craze, but it hard to miss. The local news stations are talking about it, there are billboards advertising it, or you might even be so lucky as to have a close relative that wants to show off his tiny scars.

Just like most buzz words, the phrase “minimally invasive surgery” doesn’t shed a lot of light on what it actually means. We’ve discussed some of the frequently asked questions and tried to put it in plain English, but maybe the easiest way to grasp the real meaning is to know the truth about minimally invasive spine surgery.

The truth about minimally invasive spine surgery

1. It can be more complicated than traditional surgery. (see point 2)
2. It is important to find a doctor that is experienced. Being board certified isn’t enough, you need to know that your surgeon is a true specialist in that particitular field of medicine.
3. During true minimally invasive spine surgery, there is no traumatic back muscle destruction. If a surgeon talks about long recovery times or a large amount of blood loss then they are not performing a minimally invasive procedure.
   • The fact is, they are probably calling it a minimally invasive procedure because of the small incision they make, but once inside the muscle they use a retractor that causes a large amount of tearing and ripping to the muscle causing the long recovery time, blood loss, and great pain.
4. It does not always require multiple surgeries for multiple level procedures. In other words, if a clinic requires multiple visits for each level of spine surgery, they may not be putting your needs first. The reason they do this is because they get more money from an insurance company for each separate surgery performed.

Have more questions about minimally invasive spine surgery? Visit our website at zerospinepain.com and contact one of our offices. We’ll be happy to answer any questions my might have.

Tags: Back Pain, Laser Spine Surgery, Minimally Invasive Spine Institute