Many people, especially senior citizens, seek treatment because of back or neck-related pain. Pain in the spine causes discomfort, and severe pain can interfere with your routines, like driving. When you seek treatment for these symptoms, your doctor will first try conventional and non-surgical ways to address the pain, like therapy and pain relievers. However, when these remedies fail, you must find an experienced neuro-interventional surgeon to perform a spine surgery. At LAMIS, we can correct your spinal condition in Illinois using minimally invasive spine surgery to enable you to resume your routines and a comfortable life.
Common Spine Disorders that are Treatable Through Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (MISS)
Several spine problems can be addressed through MISS. However, you should first speak to your Illinois minimally invasive spine surgery surgeon for an accurate diagnosis. You are eligible to undergo MISS if you suffer from particular back conditions, like a herniated disk or spinal stenosis.
Understanding MISS for a Herniated Disc
You develop a herniated or torn disc when the damaged disc compresses the surrounding nerve roots, causing severe pain, numbness, and tingling in the feet or legs. The severe pain stems from the force applied by the torn disc on the nerves running through the canal of your backbone.
When you experience symptoms of this spinal disorder, talk to your Illinois minimally invasive spine surgery neurointerventionist for a diagnosis. After they have accurately diagnosed you with the condition, the doctor can recommend various non-surgical treatments like acupuncture, physical therapy (PT), and medication. If the weakness in the feet, leg, or back pain persists, you will require a spine operation.
Several herniated disc surgeries exist, like microdiscectomy. The operation removes fragments from the damaged disc, bone, and ligaments. If the disorder is severe, your neurointerventionist could be forced to extract the whole disc. However, in these situations, the incision must be larger, and the operation must incorporate bone fusion. With technological advancements, your doctor can rely on MISS to remove the herniated disc. The procedure involves making a small cut on the body to allow the surgeon to insert microscopes to view the affected area and make the necessary repairs.
Steps Involved in Repairing a Herniated Disc
A spine operation to treat a torn or herniated disc involves the administration of local anesthesia. The anesthetist then monitors your reactions to the anesthetic and vital body organs, like the heart.
The neuro-interventional surgeon then cuts your skin into the damaged disc area. The incision is done with great precision using a special x-ray. After the cut, the surgeon pushes a thin wire inside a tube to the torn disc. The tunnel created by the tube is also used to push through other surgical instruments your surgeon will require for the surgery.
Once these instruments are inside the vertebrae and the surgeon has a clear view of the damage, they extract the bone or disc fragments to prevent nerve compression. Doing so alleviates nerve compression. If the damage to the disc is irreversible, the surgeon must extract the whole of it, creating the need for bone fusion. After removing the disc, the nerve roots can run through the canal smoothly, eliminating all your back complications.
The final step involves stitching the incision area. You will then spend a few days in the hospital before being discharged.
Minimally Invasive Back Surgery for Spinal Stenosis
If you are experiencing lower back pain, you are not alone. The common cause of the pain is spinal stenosis. Lumbar spinal stenosis is the narrowing or compression of the lower spinal column, causing nerve compression that results in back pain and discomfort. When the condition is severe, you will have problems standing, walking, or controlling your bowel function.
When you notice spinal stenosis symptoms, do not hesitate to visit your Illinois minimally invasive spine surgery neurointerventionist for a thorough examination and treatment. Your surgeon will then decompress the lumbar area through a minimally invasive lumbar decompression. The surgery involves removing a minor part of your spinal bone or enlarged ligament that is pressing your nerves and causing severe discomfort. The procedure creates room for the nerves, allowing decompression and healing.
The advantage of a minimally invasive decompression procedure is that it does not require local anesthesia, lowering the chances of complications. Also, there is quick recovery, allowing you to resume your routines within a day after the treatment.
-
Post-Surgical Care After a Decompression Surgery
Before admission, your Illinois minimally invasive spine surgery doctor will explain all the instructions you should adhere to before and after the treatment.
Spinal canal narrowing, or stenosis, is associated with age degeneration and requires minimally or least invasive decompression to reverse. The treatment is also associated with symptoms like numbness in the feet, sciatica, and problems walking or standing.
It is challenging to measure the level of pain relief you obtain from the decompression. However, many patients report immediate leg function improvement. In other instances, you can wait weeks to notice an improvement in your symptoms.
If the nerve compression from the spinal stenosis is long-term, the numbness, pain, and other spinal stenosis symptoms can be persistent. Even a few weeks post-operation, you will still be experiencing tingling and numbness in your feet. When these symptoms persist, speak to your surgeon, although you should wait for a full recovery, which happens in four to six weeks, before you can take other measures to alleviate the pain.
After the surgery, you will stay hospitalized for at most four days before being allowed to go home. Make arrangements for a loved one to pick you up from the hospital, as it is not advisable to drive home.
If you do not have a caregiver, are a senior citizen, or have undergone several procedures, you will require inpatient rehabilitation. Rehabilitation aims to enhance your mobility and muscle strength.
Also, after the surgery, the surgeon will administer antibiotics to prevent spinal infections. Pain-relieving medication is also recommended when the anesthesia wears off.
Again, you must have stockings on to avoid bleeding and lower the risk of blood clots in the legs. Besides, until you can walk again, your Illinois minimally invasive surgeon will place a calf compression tool. The surgeon can also administer Clexane to deter blood clots.
During the admission, your surgeon will monitor you to ensure you recover well. After they are comfortable with your recovery, they will give the hospital the go-ahead for your discharge. You can later schedule follow-up appointments.
-
Activity Guidelines
Your Illinois minimally invasive spine surgery surgeon will allow you to walk around after the surgery, but only when the anesthesia wears off.
Stepping out of bed will not be easy, but the physiotherapists and nurses will help you. Walking after the operation is encouraged to prevent blood clots. Walking is the best post-operative exercise. You can take at least five walks daily, and as the days pass, you can gradually increase the distance.
Your surgeon will only allow you to run once they examine you in a follow-up meeting to determine your recovery levels. Usually, you can start jogging six weeks after the operation.
Having enough rest after the surgery contributes to a quicker recovery. Therefore, in the first two weeks of the surgery, spend most of your time lying down to give the body sufficient rest.
If your surgery involves removing a damaged disc, you should limit your sitting time to 60 minutes each time. In the first month of the surgery, you should lie down more often than sit down. When you must sit down, take a stroll after every hour.
Lastly, avoid lifting, bending, or twisting until your surgeon evaluates you after four weeks of recovery.
Advantages of Using MISS for Spine Surgeries
Any spine surgery performed to correct a spine disorder, whether it is a herniated disc or spinal stenosis, is either open surgery or minimally invasive. Minimally or least invasive procedures involve tiny cuts on the body to insert the necessary surgical tools. However, in open surgery, the neurosurgeon must cut open your organs to have a view of the spine to correct the disorder causing your symptoms. Therefore, these traditional treatments are characterized by the use of anesthesia, large cuts, long hospitalizations, and recovery.
At LAMIS Institute, our Illinois minimally invasive spine surgeons use the latest technology of traditional techniques because of the many benefits associated with least invasive techniques. These advantages are:
It Helps you Prevent Large Cuts
The primary distinction between MISS and open operation is the size of the cuts. When your neurointerventionist uses the least invasive technique, they only make a tiny cut in your back area to insert a tube that establishes a tunnel to move all the required surgical tools to the problematic part of the spine. With small cuts, you avoid significant scars on your back.
Enhanced Surgical Accuracy
Even though undergoing MISS for a spinal stenosis condition or damaged disc entails making tiny incisions on the skin, the treatment is accurate. The endoscopes and microscopes utilized in the treatment give your Illinois minimally invasive spine surgery team a clear view of the spine. Endoscopes are small wires fitted with high-definition (HD) cameras that make their way to the problematic area of your spinal cord through a small cut in the skin. These cameras make it easy to identify the problem and address it, increasing the accuracy or precision of the spine surgery.
It Helps Deter Muscle Damage.
Another primary benefit of MISS is that your surgeon is not required to cut through all your skin layers. They only cut a small section of the skin and then insert a tubular retractor directly into the vertebrae. That way, you avoid muscle damage and other problems related to making incisions through the body. Reduced blood loss in these procedures also lowers the risk of muscle damage.
It Enables Quick Healing
Your healing from a least invasive spine technique is quicker than that of a conventional open operation. Spine surgeries are associated with many complications, but with MISS, there is less trauma to the body, promoting faster healing.
Little Scarring
People's main concern with open spine surgery in the past was the scarring caused by large cuts in the back. Luckily, with MISS, scarring should be the least of your worries because of the tiny cuts involved in the treatment.
Expectations When You Visit Your Illinois Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Experts
When you visit your Illinois spine surgeon, they must offer a bespoke treatment that addresses your specific spinal disorder. During your visit to these clinics, you should expect the following:
-
Advanced Technology
Your surgeon should utilize state-of-the-art tools and advanced technology to offer quality spine surgery to address your condition. A reputable surgeon will use robotic back surgery to increase precision while performing repairs on your spine. They will also have operative arthroscopy, a modern technology that gives the surgeon a better view of the spine area experiencing problems, increasing MISS accuracy.
-
Utilize Least Invasive Techniques
You should expect your doctor to use robotics and the least invasive techniques for spine operations. These techniques ensure fast recovery, high precision, and reduced bleeding and muscle damage.
-
Advanced Diagnostics
Before treating your spine disorder, an experienced doctor will conduct an accurate and detailed diagnosis to craft a treatment plan that meets your unique needs. Therefore, when you visit your clinic, you should expect them to see X-rays, MRI scans, and CT scans. These diagnostic tools give your surgeon a clear picture of the spine problem they are dealing with and help them develop an elaborate plan to arrest the disorder.
-
Collaboration of Neurosurgeons and Orthopaedic Surgeons
Your Illinois minimally invasive spine surgery team should be composed of a partnership of neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons for a detailed and effective treatment.
-
Tailored Rehabilitative Care
Rehabilitation is necessary, particularly for older patients or those who have undergone several layers of surgery. The goal of rehabilitation is to help you regain normal strength and mobility. You will require a PT with knowledge of spine therapy to assist you with therapy and healing.
Your choice of a spine operation clinic will determine if you will enjoy the benefits of MISS. Therefore, these pointers should help you know what to expect during treatment and find the best doctor for your spine problem.
Find a Skilled Neurointerventionist Near Me
When your spine condition does not respond to non-surgical treatment like medication and therapy, you should consider surgery. At LAMIS Institute, we use the least invasive techniques for back surgery to increase accuracy and reduce complication risks. Call us today at 310-734-6088 to speak to our neurointerventional surgeons in Illinois.
