The very idea of going under the surgeon’s knife after being rendered unconscious by anesthesia can send shivers down your spine even if your spine has become a source of pain that is severely limiting your activities of daily living. For most of us, undergoing any type of surgery is always the last resort, after all other types of treatment have failed. However, there comes a point when the unrelenting pain or not being able to do what you enjoy leaves you no other option.
The objectives of spine surgery are to support and stabilize the spine and relieve any compression of the spinal nerves causing back pain or pain down the arm or leg. New technology allows spine surgery to meet these objectives through minimally invasive techniques that offer many benefits over traditional open back surgery. These include:
- Smaller skin incisions that result in minimal scarring and better cosmetic results
- Reduced blood loss
- Reduced risk of muscle damage due to minimal or no muscle cutting
- Reduced risk of infection due to small surgical incisions
- Discharge home within a day in most cases
- Less postoperative pain
- Reduced need for pain medication
- Faster recovery
So if you think you need major spine surgery, maybe not! With significant advancements made in the field of minimally invasive surgery (MIS), you can be sure that cutting-edge technology will be utilized to perform delicate spine procedures with greater precision, improved safety and better results in terms of mobility, function and quality of life.
