Laser Spine Surgery Vs Traditional Back Surgery

Some might argue that the laser is an appropriate or ideal tool for spine surgery but this is not generally accepted within the neurosurgical spine community or among leading spine surgeons.

Laser spine surgery vs traditional back surgery.

The surgeon cuts away bone at the sides of your vertebrae to widen the space where nerves exit your spine. It s different from other types of back surgery such as traditional back surgery and minimally invasive spine surgery miss. The muscles in the back run vertically so the muscles are separated along the natural muscle planes to gain access to the spine. Although pain and recovery times are often reduced in miss long term outcomes are rarely better than traditional approaches.

Alternatively regenerative stem cell and platelet treatments actually seek to improve disc and nerve health. When a laser is used in spine surgery it is used to perform facet joint nerve ablation in an attempt to reduce back pain from arthritic facet joints. Because the muscles are not cut healing time is greatly reduced as compared to traditional open spine surgery. Laser back surgery is a type of back surgery.

Laser in my opinion isn t a viable alternative to traditional low back surgery. The goal of minimally invasive spine surgery miss is to achieve outcomes equivalent to open surgery while minimizing soft tissue damage. The laser has been around spine surgery for more than 20 years. This surgery is used to relieve pain associated with a compressed nerve in the spine.

With the exception of lipomeningocele surgery it has not gained mainstream acceptance. Laser spine surgery has become a highly successful alternative to traditional open back surgery providing quick welcome relief to countless individuals suffering from excruciating and debilitating back and neck pain. Cost of minimally invasive vs. This technique involves using the energy from the laser to vaporize ablate the small nerve endings that supply the facet joints essentially disrupting the pathway the pain signals use to get to.

In fact i now have to give the above air quote when i talk about laser spine surgery with my patients. Minimally invasive spine surgery is a newer and innovative technique to spinal care. Laser spine surgery is often used alongside minimally invasive techniques. Each approach has specific pros and cons and therefore weighing minimally invasive spine surgery vs traditional surgery can make a difference in your surgical outcome for back or neck pain.