If you have been having back pain that will not go away after resting or painkillers, you could have a spine disorder. Spine conditions occur after a spine injury. The injury could be a one-time impact after a fall, a car crash, or a severe blow to your back. It could also occur over time after prolonged standing, sitting, or bending periods. Fortunately, doctors have various treatment options for spine conditions. A doctor will recommend treatment for your condition after diagnosis, depending on the type and location of your injury and its severity.
Spine conditions can be managed with home remedies like resting, minimal stretching exercises, and physical therapy. Sometimes, doctors recommend medication to manage pain and other symptoms. Surgical treatment is considered when all other treatment options have failed.
If your doctor suggests surgical treatment, they could recommend traditional open or minimally invasive surgery. The latter is the most recommended treatment, as it is less invasive, less painful, and takes less time to recover. If you have a spine-related condition diagnosis in Wisconsin, we have the information you need at LAMIS to understand what it entails. We will also evaluate how the treatment will benefit you and the risk factors.
An Overview of Wisconsin Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
Spine conditions are prevalent, especially in older adults. The spine’s functionality diminishes with time due to wear and tear. That is why most people who complain of back pain are older adults, not younger adults or children. Over the years, doctors have been providing various forms of treatment for spine conditions, including medications and non-medicinal interventions like resting and physical therapy. Some conditions require a more intensive treatment, like surgery, to correct an underlying problem in the spine that causes the pain.
For a long time, surgeons have been conducting open spine surgeries for various spine conditions. This treatment entails cutting open your back to access the treatment site. However, open surgeries subject the patient to infections, blood loss, and internal injuries that could prolong the recovery period. They also leave large scars on the back that can affect your self-esteem and image. That is why doctors today recommend minimally invasive surgeries for spine conditions. However, your doctor must determine whether you are the right candidate for MISS before recommending it.
If you are the right candidate for MISS, the doctor will make minor incisions on the back to gain access to the affected area. They will use those incisions to insert tools and instruments that will enable them to correct the problem in your spine that causes your pain. For example, the surgeon can insert a little camera through an incision in your back to better examine the tissues, muscles, bones, and other structures. That enables them to determine what the problem is and the best treatment for it.
Wisconsin minimally invasive spine surgery can help with various spine conditions. Through the minimal incisions the doctor makes in the back, they can view the problem and insert tools and other instruments to correct it. This kind of treatment is mainly aimed at the following:
- Decompressing nerve structures that tissues or bone fragments could compress. Sometimes, a compressed nerve could be the reason you have excruciating back pain. All the doctor needs is to find the compressed nerve and decompress it. The treatment involves removing tissues or bone fragments that could compress the nerve. Once the problem is solved, you will no longer be in pain, and your spine condition will be completely healed. An example of a spine problem a surgeon can treat this way is a herniated disc.
- Wisconsin minimally invasive spine surgery can also stabilize your spine segments to stop the pain and any other symptoms you could be experiencing. Destabilization in your spine segments could occur if there is an abnormal movement of the segments. That could cause you pain in the back and neck. You will not suffer back pain again once the movements are stopped, and your spine segments are stable.
To decompress your nerves or stabilize your spine segments, spine surgeons perform a wide range of procedures using minimally invasive treatment. Some of these treatments are:
- Foraminotomy.
- Microdiscectomy.
- Laminectomy.
Each of these procedures is different and has different results. Thus, the surgeon will recommend an approach based on your underlying problem and desired outcomes.
Note: Minimally invasive treatment is not for anyone with a spine disorder. Some people are good candidates, and others are not. Your doctor will thoroughly examine your back and review your medical history to determine your suitability for MISS. If you do not qualify for MISS, your doctor will recommend an alternative treatment to heal your condition thoroughly.
Remember that the doctor will start with other treatments and interventions before recommending surgery. They will only recommend surgery when other treatment options have failed.
Wisconsin Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Benefits
Spine surgery comes with a lot of uncertainty and anxiety. It is a highly invasive treatment for one of the most sensitive parts of your body. The idea of undergoing a surgical operation on the back is scary. However, minimally invasive treatment comes with several benefits. It could be your best treatment option, provided you are a good candidate. Some of those benefits are:
Minimally invasive treatment is a low-risk surgery as it involves minimal cuts and less damage to internal structures. The surgeon does not cut open your back as they would when performing a traditional open spine surgery. Thus, your internal structures are not exposed to elements that could cause infections and damage. Because of that, it takes you a short period to recover. Your risk of complications is also low.
MISS involves minimal scars on your back. Open surgeries leave large scars on the treatment site that can impact how you feel about yourself. You could require major treatments to rid your back of those scars. Minimal invasive procedures only leave small scars that can heal with time. You are never worried about how your back will look after treatment.
It takes you a shorter time to recover after MISS than with an open spine surgery. This is all thanks to the minimal scars on the back and reduced damage to tissues, bones, and structures in the spine. The doctor only uses minimal incisions to access the treatment site without damaging the surrounding structures. Also, minimal scars take a shorter recovery time than the large scars you receive after open surgery.
You will likely have a better experience after a minimally invasive treatment than an open spine surgery. Wisconsin minimally invasive spine surgery is less invasive, with minimal blood loss. Major surgical operations leave many patients traumatized. You will likely have a better experience with minimally invasive treatment. Additionally, you do not experience much pain after a minimally invasive procedure. Accessing the treatment site requires less tissue and structural damage and minimal incisions.
If you are allergic to anesthesia, the doctor will not likely recommend surgical treatment. But you can go through minimally invasive surgery since it does not require more anesthesia to keep you relaxed and out of pain during the treatment. Also, the procedure does not take long, meaning you will only need anesthesia for a short period.
A less invasive surgical procedure is also a better treatment option than an invasive procedure that could result in complications. Most people who are afraid of invasive surgical operations can comfortably stay through a minimally invasive procedure.
Possible Complications After Wisconsin Invasive Spine Surgery
A surgical operation on the spine is a big deal. Skilled doctors recommend it as the last resort if all other treatment options fail. Understanding its benefits and possible complications is essential before making an informed decision. Your doctor will provide all the information you need beforehand to prepare you for the procedure and what could happen afterwards.
MISS is generally a very safe and low-risk treatment procedure. Even so, you could experience some complications after treatment, including the following:
An Infection
Infections mainly occur after surgical treatment. It affects the treatment site and can quickly spread to other body parts if not treated promptly. Though your risk of infection is higher after an open-spine surgery, your minor incisions after MISS could also become infected. Your surgeon can prescribe some antibiotics you can take before or after the procedure to prevent infections at the treatment point.
Severe Bleeding
Bleeding is expected during surgical treatment. Open spine surgery can lead to significant blood loss. Thus, MISS is seen as a safe alternative. With minimally invasive treatment., only slight bleeding is expected. It could indicate a complication if you notice more blood for that treatment than usual. You must speak to your surgeon right away.
Resurgence Pain
Minimally invasive spine surgery is done to alleviate your back pain. You could experience slight pain in the surgeon's incisions at the back during treatment. But the pain should go away after a few days. If the treatment is unsuccessful, you will experience back pain after treatment. The pain could be accompanied by the other symptoms you had before the procedure. You must speak to your surgeon immediately after you experience that.
Nerve Damage
MISS is carefully done to protect your nerves, tissues, and other underlying structures from damage when receiving spine treatment. However, damage can occur even with minimal cuts and careful maneuvering during treatment. Nerve damage will cause your back pain to reoccur. It is advisable to seek treatment immediately if you experience pain after treatment.
Pain At The Incision
Some patients complain of pain at the treatment point days after surgery. Typically, the incision point must heal within a few days of the treatment. If you experience pain for weeks after the operation, it indicates that something could be wrong. You need to visit your doctor for a review and treatment recommendations.
Treatment Failure
There is usually no guarantee that your spine condition will be entirely treated with minimally invasive spine surgery in Wisconsin. Sometimes, the treatment does not yield the expected result. It means that the doctor will need to seek an alternative treatment for you to manage your pain and other symptoms you could have. For example, the doctor can recommend additional surgery to fix the problem with your spine.
After-Treatment Care
Your doctor will expect you to take good care of your back after treatment, at least for a few days or weeks, to allow it to heal. Since MISS involves making small incisions on the back, your recovery period will be relatively shorter than what you would need after open spine surgery. MISS does not affect your tissues, muscles, or other underlying structures, whose damage could prolong your recovery. These structures remain intact, which promotes their healing.
Thus, your recovery after MISS has fewer obstacles. You only need a few days to recover and return to your daily activities. But if the spine condition impacts your motion, you can include physical therapy in your treatment to restore motion and other lost bodily functionalities.
You could experience pain after treatment or soreness at the treatment point. You must not overexert yourself or strain your back, which could aggravate the pain. You must also follow the prescriptions the doctor will send you home, including pain medication and antibiotics. That way, you will feel better over time.
Thus, resting for a few days is advisable before resuming rigorous activities. Your doctor can recommend a physical therapist to work with you, or they can recommend exercises you can do at home to promote healing.
Find a Competent Spine Surgeon Near Me
If you have tried other treatments for your spine condition without success in Wisconsin, your doctor can recommend surgery. Due to technological advancements, you do not have to go through open surgery today. Minimally invasive spine surgery is an excellent alternative. It takes a shorter period, does not involve much blood loss, is less painful, and can happen in an outpatient setting. However, you must work with a competent surgeon for a successful outcome.
Our spine surgeons at LAMIS have the knowledge and experience to perform minimally invasive spine surgery for various spine conditions. We have all the information you need regarding the treatment process, its advantages, and possible complications to help you make an informed decision. Call us at 310-734-6088 for more details about Wisconsin minimally invasive spine surgery and our services.
