Minimally invasive spine surgery is used to treat a wide variety of spinal disorders in a gentle, safe manner.
Using state-of-the-art techniques, injury to soft tissues that may occur during traditional open surgery is markedly decreased. This results in:
- Smaller incisions
- Less pain after surgery
- Less scarring
- Quicker return to normal daily activities
It is important to consider that minimally invasive surgery requires a comprehensive approach to patient care. The UCSD Spine Surgery team are leaders in minimally invasive surgery and are at the forefront of educating, research, and technology development.
Lessening the Sting of Spinal Surgery
Today’s orthopaedic surgeons can restore normal function in people whose original “equipment” has been damaged or worn out, using replacement implants.
As early as 10 years ago, orthopaedic surgery meant large incisions, extensive soft tissue damage, considerable blood loss, and pain. These procedures required long hospital stays, and spinal surgery had the largest incisions, the greatest blood loss, and the most pain. Today, however, the field is being transformed by minimally invasive techniques, and UCSD is at the forefront, with one of the nation’s few centers of excellence for minimally invasive spinal surgery.
The goal is to get the patient walking as soon as possible after surgery. Depending on the surgery, the recovery time can be a third to half as long as it is with traditional techniques.
Recent advancements include a computer-assisted image guidance system that is incorporated into many procedures. The system, which produces images of comparable quality to live x-rays, uses a special computer to track the instruments in 3-D space, much like a GPS tracks a car’s location on the roadways. This system is just one of many technological innovations, including robotics, that UCSD believes will become commonplace in the orthopaedic operating room.
Is Minimally Invasive Spine surgery for you?