Laser Spine Surgery - Are You A Candidate?

Imagine leaving a surgery center completely pain-free. The only sign that you received spinal surgery being a small bandage on your back. these are some of the aspects that make laser spine surgery so appealing to people living with chronic back pain in Florida.

Neurosurgeons prepping for laser spine surgery in Florida

If you have been told that you may need back surgery, It’s important to note that minimally invasive surgery using a laser isn’t a miracle cure and it isn’t viable for everybody. The laser assists in removing scar tissue, adhesions, and bone spurs in order to relieve back pain. This means that they can only be used for certain conditions.

It’s no surprise why laser spine surgery is so appealing, but it is important to understand the difference between this and traditional, minimally invasive spine surgery. This is something that we can discuss in more detail if you schedule a surgical consultation with Florida Surgery Consultants.

Laser Spine Surgery vs Other Surgery Methods

As mentioned before, laser spine surgery can only be used for certain medical conditions. Lasers are not used to treat conditions like degenerative spine disease, for example. 95% of the minimally invasive spine surgeries done today are done without laser and not many surgery centers in Florida are able to offer the option to their patients.

At Florida Surgery Consultants, our neurosurgeons are able to offer this ultra minimally invasive technique. Here’s how laser spine surgery compares with other surgical methods.

Traditional Open Spine Surgery

With the traditional approach to spine surgery, a surgeon would make an incision through the skin and muscle in order to gain better access to the affected area of the spine. This approach requires dissecting muscles away from the spine in order to clear the pathway for the surgical team. Traditional open spine surgery does pose a greater risk for patients, because dissected muscle may never recover. Patience will also be looking at a longer hospital stay with this type of surgery.

Open spine surgery is now performed less often in Florida due to the risks involved and longer recovery times. In addition to a larger scar after the surgery, most patients will also need to stay overnight in the hospital. This can significantly increase the bill associated with this type of spine surgery.

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

This type of spine surgery gets its name, because the surgeon only needs to make a small incision in the back. After the incision has been made, specialized tools are used in order to provide the surgical team access to the affected area of the spine. Since no muscle dissection is needed with this type of surgery, there is less pain afterwards and recovery time is significantly shorter. Most minimally invasive spine surgeries can be done in an outpatient surgery center and patients can go home the same day.

If you’d like to learn more about minimally invasive spine surgery, then please check out this post.

Laser Spine Surgery

During this procedure, our neurosurgeons use a laser to remove soft tissue that is compressing nerves (herniated discs and ligament enlargement). Remember that this type of application is only effective for specific conditions.

Lasers can be used to remove tumors from the spinal cord or to remove bone and soft tissue from around a nerve. This surgical tool is also great for removing disc material that is shrinking and compressing around the nerves. The surgeon uses a laser and an endoscopic camera to find the problem disc and remove the area that is causing your back pain.

Are There Complications from Laser Spine Surgery?

With laser spine surgery, there is a risk of having an inadequate operation. This would mean that the patient would need additional spinal surgery. For instance, let’s say you are experiencing chronic leg pain due to spinal deformity. Laser spine surgery can be used to improve your leg pain. However, leg pain may eventually return because a laser is not able to completely address the root cause of the pain.

Another complication that can arise from laser spine surgery is nerve damage. However, this is a risk when the procedure is performed by an inexperienced surgeon. Our team of spinal surgeons are very experienced, so this is not something that you would need to worry about.

Spine Surgery FAQs

If you are considering back surgery, then we recommend that you do your homework and prepare some questions for your surgical consultation. This is an important first step that will be used to determine whether you are a good candidate for laser spine surgery.

These are the questions that our neurosurgeons most frequently get when it comes to spine surgery in Florida:

  • What does the operation entail?
  • Would minimally invasive surgery or traditional open spine surgery be better?
  • Are there alternative options available?
  • Will spinal fusion be involved?
  • Will the surgery help improve other symptoms, such as leg pain?
  • What are the potential complications from spine surgery?
  • Can laser spine surgery treat my medical condition?
  • What is the background experience of my surgeon?
  • Does the surgeon specialize in both traditional “open” procedures and minimally invasive surgery?

Conclusion

One important thing to know is that the most complicated back problems often require traditional spine surgery. Medical technology has come such a long way when it comes to treating spinal diseases, but there is no such thing as a miracle cure.

At Florida Surgery Consultants, we take great care assessing every single patient in order to deliver the most personalized, factive and technologically-advanced surgical treatment. our neurosurgeons are trained in both traditional and minimally invasive approaches. if you would like to schedule a consultation, please use our online form or give us a call at #.

Are these Spine Surgeries Minimally Invasive?

Yes, all these spine surgeries are.

What Health Insurances are Accepted at Florida Surgery Consultants?

Currently we are in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Medicare, Bright Health, and Cigna Health Springs plans. If you have health insurance that is not listed, please contact our office, many times we can accept patients that have plans with out of network benefits. If you were involved in a motor vehicle accident or a personal injury case we can also see you. We can also help patients with workers’ compensation injuries.
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