Spinal laser surgery is a surgical procedure that relieves back pain due to various back problems. It is minimally invasive treatment that most patients opt for today. Surgeons usually performs the procedure using endoscopic methods which uses a flexible tube attach to it is a tiny camera to access the part of the spine that needs treatment. A medical laser is then use to treat the patient.
Most conditions that are treated with spinal laser surgery are herniated disc as well as bone spurs. This form of treatment is also found to be effective with patients who suffer from nerve related problems that often resulted to pain. Other times spinal laser surgery is also use to fuse or combine parts of the spine.
With traditional surgery, surgeons makes a large cut to access the spine unlike with spinal laser surgery where the primary tool is the laser and the cut or incision made is very small enough for an endoscopic device to be inserted. Since this method of treatment involves a very small cut thus it involves fewer traumas in the patient’s tissues that is why this procedure is often referred to as minimally invasive.
Benefits of spinal laser surgery are much greater than the traditional spinal surgery. Read further on to know the benefits of this minimally invasive form of surgery.
• Less cutting or incision means low incidence of complications. Since the cut is small it is fast to heal and risk of infection is very low as well as bleeding.
• Most of the time surgeons’ only use local anesthesia to numb only the affected area and give the patient a mild sedation to keep the patient relax and calm during the surgery.
• Patients do recover fast and does not even have to stay long in the hospital in fact the patient can go home on the same day the procedure is done.
Unfortunately just like any other major operation there are risks involve, even it is a minimally invasive surgery still risks and complications still exist in some cases. Possible complications may include spinal fluid leak, too much bleeding, damage to some tissues in the body and reactions to anesthesia.
One thing to remember, if you are to undergo spine surgery, you should first discuss your condition and investigate further if there is really a need for spine surgery. If that has been established already then discuss with your doctor the best type of spine surgery for you. No matter how popular spinal laser surgery, always consider the track record of such method and always check if its effectivity is proven already.
Unfortunately spinal laser surgery has been in the industry since 1980 but then it has not been studied in controlled clinical trial to prove its effectiveness that is why most neurosurgeons do not use this method since there is no clear evidence or scientific proofs of its benefits (Mayo Clinic 2009).