Spine surgery is one of the most common surgeries in most hospitals. Any doctor will tell you that its benefits outweigh its risks, but there are a few patients who want to reduce the risk of complications and struggles they may have while they recover from their procedure.
A minimally invasive laminectomy is one option to consider. A minimally invasive procedure is an operation that uses a small incision to cut and remove tissue from the spinal column rather than making a large, more open one. To get better now without invasive procedures looming in your future, look at the many benefits of this procedure.
How Minimally Invasive Laminectomy Reduces the Dangers of Spine Surgery
1. Less muscle damage
The primary muscle that makes up the back, the erector spine muscle, is what most surgeons will cut through to perform a standard laminectomy. It can lead to reduced mobility and chronic pain in the back after surgery. Minimally invasive procedures don’t involve cutting through any muscles; therefore, there is less muscle damage.
2. Reduced incision size
The larger the incision or skin cut for a procedure, the longer it takes for patients to heal. Also, larger incisions increase exposure to bacteria and other risks from surgery, leading to more complications. Since minimally invasive surgery doesn’t involve cutting through muscles, the incision is smaller than a traditional laminectomy incision.
3. Less blood loss
Since minimally invasive surgery doesn’t involve cutting through muscles, there is less blood loss. To get the same benefits of a muscle-removing procedure in a minimally invasive form, surgeons can use endoscopic muscle-sparing techniques to achieve the same results with less blood loss and tissue trauma.
4. Faster recovery time
Whether surgical, endoscopic, or minimally invasive, spinal surgeries have all gotten more accessible and quicker over time. It is because doctors and surgeons now know how to perform these procedures in ways that create less tissue trauma. As a result, recovery generally takes less time, and patients can expect quicker recoveries from spinal surgeries like these.
5. Less pain after surgery
In the hours following surgery, patients can feel pain from coughing, sneezing, or flinching with a bump. Surgeries like laminectomy are often done as outpatient procedures, where patients only stay in the hospital for about 6 hours. In contrast, other surgeries may require patients to stay for a few days or even weeks before they go home.
6. Lower risks of infection
As with any surgery, there is a risk of infection after spinal surgery. However, minimally invasive procedures are less likely to cause complications such as blood infections or an infection in the wound itself because they don’t involve cutting through muscles.
7. Reduced risk of complications
Spinal surgeries come with many risks, including nerve damage and infection. Some brain areas are susceptible to disease and can become infected quickly. For this reason, spinal surgeons take every precaution to ensure they prevent infections from occurring when operating on patients’ spines.
Minimally invasive laminectomy surgery offers many benefits that you can use to return to total activity after surgery. If you want to minimize risks and complications, this is the way to go. Click here to learn more about Minimally Invasive Laminectomy or Discectomy surgery.
