The 8 Spinal Conditions That a Minimally Invasive Surgery Can Treat

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The majority of back and neck pain sufferers prefer non-surgical treatments, such as medications, to address pain caused by spinal conditions. However, some illnesses cannot be treated with drugs or physical therapy, necessitating surgical intervention. The benefit of having surgery is that your doctor may advise either open surgery or a minimally invasive alternative. Minimally invasive surgery is one of the treatment methods that surgeons at reputable spine center use to help their patients with their debilitating symptoms.

Minimally invasive surgery is progressively growing in popularity as the best alternative to open surgery that allows for significantly improving the patient's overall quality of life. You won't need to spend multiple months recovering as a result and avoid the risk of severe post-operative complications. 

If your back pain is only mild and is not keeping you from going about your daily business, there is no need for open surgery. However, if your back discomfort is unresponsive to alternative therapies like physical therapy, the doctor could advise surgical intervention. Here are some conditions that can be effectively addressed with minimally invasive spinal surgery:

1. Disc herniation 

A herniated disc, also known as a ruptured or slipped disc, develops when the gel-like nucleus pulposus in your disc pushes through the outer layer (annulus fibrosus). If the gel-like substance spreads and presses on a neighboring nerve, it will hurt and lead to some serious inflammation. 

2. Sciatica

Your sciatic nerve, which extends from your lower spine to your buttocks and then travels to the areas close to your knee and foot, is the longest nerve in your body. The symptoms that you could experience when this nerve gets pinched by surrounding bones or other tissues are called sciatica. Sciatica often only affects one side of the body, resulting in pins and needles or numbness below the knee.

3. Degenerative disc disease (DDD)

Your neck and lower back's intervertebral discs are most commonly impacted by DDD. Even though the disorder is not restricted to a certain age, you are more prone to develop DDD due to age-related problems that induce wear and tear on your discs. You become more vulnerable to problems like herniated discs as a result of the degeneration, which causes the discs to lose their structural elasticity, flexibility, and strength.

4. Spinal stenosis

Spinal stenosis most commonly affects older adults. It occurs when bone spurs compress a neighboring nerve or your spinal cord, limiting your spinal canal or nerve pathways.

5. Vertebral compression fracture (VCF)

VCF is a prevalent kind of spine fracture caused by trauma or osteoporosis. One of the major symptoms of VCF is likely to be a sudden, severe stabbing pain.

6. Spinal deformities

Scoliosis is a condition characterized by abnormal spinal curvature. The natural bend of your spine keeps you balanced. However, when spinal abnormalities cause irregular curves, your spinal alignment, flexibility, and balance will decrease badly.

7. Spondylolisthesis

This spinal ailment results from the displacement of one vertebra over another in the lumbar spine. Based on the severity of the displacement, you will probably develop some pain and even loss of sensation.

8. Spinal infection

A bacterial or fungal infection in another area of the body that has spread to the spine via your bloodstream might result in spinal infection. Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli are the two most frequent causes of spinal infections. The lumbar portion of the spine is most frequently impacted. Different spinal infections have different symptoms, but in general, pain is initially limited to the infection site.