Minimally Invasive Surgery

What is minimally invasive surgery?

Traditional, or open, spine surgery requires a large incision. Your surgeon makes an incision 5-6 inches long and moves the muscles and connective tissue to access your spine. 

Minimally invasive surgery uses advanced techniques that allow your surgeon to operate through much smaller incisions. This approach significantly reduces damage to muscles and other healthy tissues surrounding your spine. 

Benefits of minimally invasive spine surgery include:

• Less pain and scarring
• Reduced risk of complications
• Faster recovery and return to normal activities

But minimally invasive spine surgery isn’t always the best option. Your highly skilled surgeon at Memorial Orthopaedic Surgical Group carefully evaluates your condition and recommends the best procedure for you.

What types of spine surgery use minimally invasive techniques?

The team at Memorial Orthopaedic Surgical Group uses minimally invasive techniques to perform common procedures, including:

Lumbar decompression

This procedure relieves pressure on the nerve roots in your lower back (lumbar spine). Your surgeon removes overgrown bone or soft tissue through the smallest possible incision. They insert an instrument called a tubular retractor into the incision.

The retractor holds your muscles apart so your surgeon doesn’t have to cut them. It also creates an access tube for your surgeon to insert miniature instruments and perform the necessary operation.  

Spinal fusion

The team at Memorial Orthopaedic Surgical Group uses minimally invasive techniques to perform transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). During this procedure, they remove a degenerated disc through a small incision and replace it with a bone graft. They may also insert rods and screws to support the bone graft while it heals. 

Why would I need minimally invasive spine surgery?

The team at Memorial Orthopaedic Surgical Group always explores every nonsurgical treatment available before recommending surgery. You may need spine surgery if you have back pain that disrupts your daily life and doesn’t resolve with conservative treatments like physical therapy and medication. 

Additionally, the team at Memorial Orthopaedic Surgical Group only performs spine surgery when they can pinpoint the exact location of damaged tissue that causes your pain. They use a portable X-ray machine to identify the precise area of tissue damage during surgery. 

To find out if minimally invasive spine surgery is right for you, call Memorial Orthopaedic Surgical Group or book an appointment online today.