The spine is a vital part of your body, giving it support and structure. It enables you to move freely and bend with a lot of flexibility. The spine also shields the spinal cord from injuries that could impact your brain activity and motion. The spinal cord comprises nerves connecting your brain to all other body parts. These nerves control movement. The spine works very well until it sustains an injury. An injury to the spine can occur at once, due to a heavy blow on the back, or with time (due to wear and tear). A problem with the spine comes with excruciating pain that affects how you function. You must seek immediate treatment once you experience back pain.
Fortunately, traditional treatments for spine problems, like open spine surgery, have always worked to remedy the problem with the back, alleviate pain, and restore movement. However, these procedures are mainly invasive, painful, expensive, and take a long time to heal. Doctors today recommend minimally invasive spine surgeries to treat spine-related issues. The latter is less invasive and painful and can be performed in outpatient settings.
Thus, if you have been experiencing back pains in Texas and have been diagnosed with a spine condition, it could be time to talk to your doctor about minimally invasive spine treatment. The doctor will examine you well to determine whether you are the right candidate for that particular type of treatment.
What Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery in Texas Entail
Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) is a treatment performed on the spine's bones and structures. Doctors who perform this medical procedure use minimal incisions on the back to reach the treatment site. The procedure is less invasive than traditional surgical procedures on the spine. It has also become widely acceptable and a standard technique for managing most spine-related complications, including degenerative discs, herniated discs, and other spine deformities.
There are many reasons why minimally invasive treatments are becoming more popular by the day. Patients do not lose a lot more blood after a minimally invasive procedure than they do after open-spine surgery. The procedure is also less painful, leaving minimal scars on the patient’s back. The doctor will be less likely to damage or scar surrounding tissues during the procedure. Also, you will not need to stay longer in the facility to recover after a MISS.
The procedure is also relatively safe for everyone. However, you cannot predict the outcome if you are unsure of your doctor’s expertise and experience. You must select a reputable doctor to diagnose and perform the procedure. If you have been diagnosed with a spine complication in Texas, you can contact us for guidance, support, and treatment at LAMIS. Our doctors have what you need to receive expert advice and treatment for the best possible outcome.
If you have been diagnosed with a spine condition, your doctor can recommend surgery to correct the problem and alleviate your pain. Doctors recommend surgery to treat various types of spine conditions. You can undergo the traditional open surgery, or your doctor can recommend MISS as an alternative.
All the doctor does during the minimally invasive surgery is make small incisions in your back to access the problematic site. Thus, they are less likely to harm your back tissues or muscles. Once the doctor makes an incision, he/she will fit a retractor to access the problematic area. Through that tunnel, the doctor can pass the apparatus or tools they require to treat the problems with your spine. For example, they could pass a tiny camera through the tunnel to better view the problematic area. They will also pass other tools to correct the problem through the tunnel.
If you have been experiencing back pain and have been diagnosed with a spine disorder, you can greatly benefit from Texas minimally invasive spine surgery. Regardless of the problem you have in your back, this treatment can help accomplish the following:
- Decompress the spine by removing the tissues, compressing the nerve, and causing pain. That could remedy common problems like bone fragments in the spine or herniated discs that cause compression in the spine.
- Stabilize the spine, reducing movement and dislocations that could be causing your pain. That could be needed if you are experiencing abnormal movement in various spine segments. These movements could be the cause of your unending back pain.
Doctors offering Texas minimally invasive spine surgery treatments perform various medical procedures for various spine conditions. Examples of these procedures are:
- A microdiscectomy is a surgical treatment for pain relief and other symptoms associated with a herniated disc in the spine. Remember that a herniated disc presses on the adjacent nerve root, causing your back pain. During this treatment, the doctor frees the compressed nerve by removing small bone, disc, or ligament fragments.
- A foraminotomy procedure for enlarging the area around affected bones in the spine. The procedure relieves pressure on compressed nerves, relieving your back pain. Note that the spinal column comprises chains of bones called vertebrae.
- A micro laminectomy procedure to decompress your spinal nerves. The doctor removes any bone spurs that could be pressing on your nerves, causing your pain.
While MISS offers many benefits, it is unsuitable for everyone with spine-related conditions. It helps to consult with a neurosurgeon before signing up for treatment. After an examination, diagnosis, and review of your treatment history, the doctor will suggest the most convenient treatment for your condition. Typically, doctors recommend non-surgical treatments first. Surgical treatment is always done as the last recourse when other treatments, like home therapies and medicines, fail to alleviate your back pain.
Spine Disorders Texas Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Can Help With
MISS is a preferred treatment mode for most spine conditions because it is less invasive, less painful, and requires a short recovery period. The doctor only makes a small incision on your back, which is less painful and does not involve massive blood loss. If you have any of the following spine conditions, your doctor can recommend MISS:
A Degenerative Disc Condition
This disorder starts slowly, develops gradually, and affects your discs. Degenerative disc disease is a common condition in older adulthood. The condition could develop once you start losing flexibility in your spine discs, whereby they start stiffening. The cause could be aging, primarily due to the bodily changes that occur with age. For example, changes in the structure of your intervertebral discs can lead to disc herniation. But they can be remedied by MISS.
Sciatica Symptoms
They are the various symptoms you experience due to the decompression of the sciatica nerve (the nerve running from your neck to your buttocks and legs). You experience these symptoms on the side of your body that is affected. That is where you feel pain and/or numbness. Texas minimally invasive spine surgery can help relieve the compressed sciatica nerve, alleviating your pain and other symptoms the condition comes with.
Herniated Discs
Ruptured or herniated discs happen when the inner core of your discs ruptures through their outer layers, releasing their gel. The damaged discs and leaking gel can result in inflammation of your spine nerves, causing severe back pain. The doctor can repair the damage and remove the inflammation or infection to relieve pain and other related symptoms.
Spinal Stenosis
This spine condition causes many nerve passageways in the spine and your spinal cord to narrow. It is a prevalent condition in old adulthood, resulting in pain, a tingling feeling in the back, and numbness.
Spine Deformities
Minimally invasive spine surgery can help with several spine deformities. These conditions cause the abnormal curving of your spine in various sizes and shapes. A healthy spine curves normally at different points. If the curving on your spine is inconsistent, it can affect your flexibility, resulting in balance issues.
Spine Infections
Some spine infections happen after surgery. An infection like that will likely affect various parts of the spine, including the intervertebral discs. If you have sudden, severe pain in your back and do not have prior injuries, that could be a sign of an infection.
Vertebral Compression Fractures
If you have osteoporosis or have suffered trauma to your spine, you can experience a vertebral compression fracture. This condition comes with sudden and severe pain in the back. Doctors resolve these conditions with MISS.
Spondylolisthesis
This condition occurs if a vertebra slides over the one beneath it. The severity of the slide and affected vertebra determines how serious your condition is.
How Texas Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Can Benefit You
Spine surgery is usually not recommended unless other therapies have failed to treat a spine-related condition. Some people are terrified by the thought of open surgery, even when it is expected to relieve their back pain and other related symptoms. Open surgery for spine conditions is also risky and can result in pain, prolonged recovery periods, blood loss, and severe scars on the back. That is why doctors today recommend MISS as a better alternative that can produce equally effective or better results. Here are some of the benefits you will likely enjoy after undergoing minimally invasive treatment for a spine condition:
MISS Is a Low-Risk Operation
Most surgical treatments are highly invasive, which makes them high-risk treatments. Doctors recommend them as a last resort, especially for sensitive body parts like the spine. MISS is less invasive and subjects you to a reduced risk of infection and complications. For example, you do not lose a lot of blood with MISS since the doctor only makes minimal incisions in your back. Your spine is also not cut open, reducing infection risk and damage to surrounding muscles, tissues, and bones.
MISS is More Cosmetically Appealing
Even though surgical treatment can treat a serious condition and alleviate all unpleasant symptoms, it leaves serious scarring on your skin. Scars on the skin can affect how you see or feel about yourself. It can impact your self-esteem and self-image. MISS is an excellent alternative since it does not leave any serious scarring on your back. You only receive minimal incisions and less scarring, which can disappear with time.
You Recover Faster After MISS
If you have battled excruciating back pain even for a day, the last thing you need is a lengthy recovery period after treatment. You want to return to your usual routines without the pain and other unpleasant symptoms. Sadly, you have to contend with prolonged recovery periods after open-spine surgery. That is why MISS is an excellent alternative. Texas minimally invasive spine surgery mainly occurs in outpatient settings. You will be out of the hospital almost immediately after the treatment. The procedure is less invasive, and your recovery is faster.
MISS is Less Traumatizing
An open surgery can be very traumatic. It is worse when done to a sensitive body part, like your spine. The thought of the doctor opening up your back to fix a problem that is causing you pain can be very traumatic. Not to mention blood loss and the pain the treatment comes with. Treatments can also result in muscle or tissue damage, which is very painful and could take time to heal. MISS is less traumatic. You do not have to worry about being cut open, blood loss, muscle or tissue damage, or pain after treatment. You can resume your regular life after a few days of treatment.
MISS Involves Less Anesthesia
Surgical treatments mainly involve anesthesia to minimize the pain and enable you to relax comfortably throughout the procedure. However, there could be a problem for people allergic to anesthesia. You can greatly benefit from MISS if you suffer allergic reactions after anesthesia. Since the treatment process is less invasive, you do not need much anesthesia to relax throughout the treatment. Doctors only use less anesthesia for minimally invasive procedures.
Find an Experienced Spine Surgeon Near Me
Have you been diagnosed with a spine condition in Texas?
You could greatly benefit from minimally invasive spine treatment. This treatment entails creating small incisions in the back to access the problematic site for treatment.
You need an experienced spine surgeon for this kind of treatment. That is why we recommend our services at LAMIS. We have extensive skills and experience in treating all kinds of spine disorders using minimally invasive techniques. Contact us at 310-734-6088 to discuss our services and your condition.
