The overall goal of spine treatment should be to get
at the root of the problem, causing the least amount of disruption
to the patient’s lifestyle. Spine surgery is typically a choice
of last resort, after all nonsurgical methods have been exhausted,
or when problems like severely herniated discs or damaged vertebrae
simply will not respond to nonsurgical treatments.
However, when surgery is the right course of action,
it is essential for you to play an active role in selecting the best
spine surgeon for you. You should look for a surgeon that specializes
in spine problems rather than one that spends time treating patients
with other needs, such as head, knee and shoulder injuries. As with
anything else, practice makes perfect. The more a person does something,
the better they get at it.
Overview
About 200,000 Americans undergo fusion surgery each year in order to
relieve pain from serious degenerative disc disease and spondylolisthesis.
The outcomes from these surgeries are often unpredictable, and there
is no guarantee of success. New developments in minimally invasive
techniques have introduced improved ways the surgeon can access the
spine, therefore making the recovery process smoother and easier.
These techniques are expected to eventually replace conventional
surgical approaches.
Traditional, “open” spine surgery can involve
a three-inch long incision, in which muscles and tissues are separated
for optimal access to the injury site. Due to the resulting trauma
to surrounding tissues and the amount of blood loss involved, a several-week
recovery period may be required for the affected tissues and muscles
to heal.
Minimally invasive surgical techniques provide the opportunity
to successfully treat back problems with minimal interruption to the
patient’s regular, active lifestyle. Results achieved from these
methods have been proven to match that of conventional “open
surgery.” The surgeon makes smaller incisions, sometimes only
a half-inch in length. Through these tiny incisions, the surgeon inserts
special surgical instruments and probes in order to access the damaged
disc in the spine. By using minimally invasive techniques, access and
repair to the damaged disc or vertebrae is achieved without harming
nearby muscles and tissues. Other benefits of minimally invasive techniques
include shorter surgery duration and recovery time, less visible scars
and reduced pain and blood loss.
Benefits
- Less recovery time
- Less post-operative pain
- Less blood loss
- Less damage to tissues and muscles
- Smaller scars
- Quicker return to activity
Minimal access spinal technologies
(MAST)
The development of minimal access spinal technologies (MAST) enables
spine surgeons to create the least amount of invasion possible, while
at the same time achieving identical results as open spine surgery.
The use of these tools creates a smaller surgical area in which to
work because of the acute accuracy they provide.
BMP
Bone is often taken from the hip of a patient during traditional fusion
procedures. This process, however, can cause just as much pain
and discomfort as the actual surgery itself. An alternate method
is the use of a bone-growth substance that eliminates the need
for harvesting bone from a person’s hip.
Bones contain traces of protein extracts that are required
for the bone to heal or regenerate. This substance is called bone morphogenetic
protein, or BMP. In order to initiate bone formation, there needs to
be an ample amount of the protein available. Scientists have produced
a usable form of the bone-growth stimulant BMP (“bone morphogenetic
protein”) that is now being used in place of bone harvested from
a patient’s hip. This bone graft is made from pure bone protein
(minerals and collagen) and absorbable collagen sponge that promotes
new bone formation. Studies have shown that the positive results achieved
from surgery using BMP match that of an autograft procedure (in which
bone is taken from the hip).
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