Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

Back & Neck Pain Treatments

What is Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery?

Traditionally, spine surgery required a long 6-8 inch incision and a large amount of muscle dissection which led to prolonged recovery and resulted in significant scarring. However, at OSS Health, our Board Certified Spine Surgeons are experts in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery.

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery uses small incisions (about 1-2 inches) to access damaged spinal discs or vertebrae without the need for large amounts of muscle dissection or trauma to the structures surrounding the spine. Once the incisions are made, real-time X-ray (known as fluoroscopy) and small surgical instruments are used to repair damaged spinal discs or vertebrae as well as decompress spinal nerves.

This means that not only are the incisions far smaller, but the procedures are much shorter and much less invasive. In fact, these procedures are often performed on an outpatient basis and many patients are able to return home the same day as their procedure. At OSS Health, our Board Certified Spine Surgeons have helped thousands of patients return to an active and healthy lifestyle after a Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery.

Many people will use various terms to describe Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery and all of them refer to a similar approach and process for spine surgery. Commonly used terms include:

Laser Spine Surgery

Essentially, the term “Laser Spine” refers to a minimally invasive spine surgical procedure but this term has become very common over time. There is often a misconception that an actual “laser” is used in these procedures, which there is not. Laser spine surgery is a form of surgery that uses small incisions and minimally- invasive techniques.

Endoscopic Spine Surgery

This type of spine surgery is performed using a thin, telescope-like instrument called an endoscope. The endoscope is connected to a tiny video camera and is inserted through small incisions to give surgeons an inside view of the patient’s body. In addition, small surgical instruments can be inserted through the small incisions to perform the surgery.