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Minimally invasive surgery is an advanced technology used to treat spinal conditions with minimal scar tissue in the spine formation, blood loss, and no implemented hardware (fusion materials) that can cause possible complications.
To fully understand the difference between conventional open back surgery and minimally invasive surgery we should compare the two.
Lumbar Discectomy - The procedure
This surgery is most often preformed to remove herniated disc material placing pressure on the patient’s nerve roots causing painful symptoms.
The patient must be under the influence of general anesthesia during this surgical procedure. Depending on the seriousness of the patients back condition this surgery will take about an hour. The patient will be laying face down during the procedure with their back pointing upwards.
An incision of about 3 centimeters is made in the patients back to allow for removal of herniated disc fragments. Through this incision the surgeon will dissect the muscle away from the bone in your spine. The operating surgeon will then use some specialized tools to remove a small amount of the bone and ligament from the back portion of the spine. This is known as a laminotomy procedure.
After the bone and ligament have been removed, the spinal nerves are visible and the operating surgeon can protect them. Once the surgeon finds the herniated disc, the fragments or the portion of the herniated disc can be safely removed. Depending on the condition of the remaining portion of the disc, the surgeon, at their discretion, may remove a portion(s) of the disc that he or she may believes could become problematic to the patient in the future. The incision is closed and bandaged once the disc has been corrected and the area around the nerves has been cleaned.
Discectomy procedure recovery process
Depending on the success of the surgery, patients will often awaken with a complete resolution to their leg pain, although it is not unusual for the patient’s symptoms to slowly fade over a two to three week period of time. The area around the incision if often painful after surgery and is controlled through pain medication. Most patients will spend at least one night in the hospital, but are often discharged the following morning. Although it is not always needed, it is often recommended for the patient to wear a lumbar corset to help control some of the painful symptoms.
After the surgery patients are required to avoid lifting heavy objects, and must be careful to try and avoid bending or twisting the back to frequently. Although gentle activities such as sitting upright and walking are encouraged, the patient should try to avoid strenuous activities or exercises until they have been given the go ahead by their doctor.
With the cutting and removal of bones from the back there is plenty of opportunity for the back to create scar tissue as a result of the body’s natural healing process. Find out more about scar tissue and how it is created.
With a process such as a percutaneous arthroscopic laser discectomy instead of cutting or tearing the muscle and removing a section of the bone covering the back of the spine, tubes are used to gently push the muscle aside. These tubes provide the access point for surgical instruments that are used in the procedure. Find out more information on how a percutaneous discectomy procedure can be performed to prevent back surgery scar tissue.