Laser Spine Surgery – The Latest in Back Surgery
Back pain is common. It is the leading cause of illness related absenteeism from work in America and accounts for more than half of the Workers Compensation cases filed every year. Back pain is however not easy to treat effectively, as it can have many different causes and symptoms and pain levels vary from patient to patient. All kinds of treatments are available to those seeking back pain relief, one of the newest being laser spine surgery.
Many doctors consider surgery to be the treatment of last resort for back pain sufferers, but after three to six months of conservative therapy – physical therapy, steroid injections and pain management through medication – have proved ineffective it is usually advised that back surgery be considered, especially if the pain is believed to be due to a bulging or herniated disc.
In decades past surgeries to relieve spinal difficulties like a herniated disc were a fairly large undertaking, involving large incision and weeks or even months of recovery time.
The arthroscopic laser has been in use to treat knee and shoulder problems since the 1970s but it is only recently that it has been put into uses as a part of laser spine surgery. During arthroscopic surgery the doctor works through a very small incision, carefully inserting a series of hollow tubes to form a “channel” through which he or she can then operate using a variety of rather sophisticated tools.
A number of surgeons are now offering laser spine surgery on an outpatient basis and are opting to use local rather than general anesthetic. This of course is usually highly beneficial from the patient’s point of view. No need for a hospital stay and the risks that are associated with the administration of general anesthetic are removed from the equation.
After the laser spine surgery is over a patient is typically monitored at the surgeon’s office for 2-4 hours and then released to go home. Many surgeons suggest that patients follow a post operative course of physical therapy, or at least undertake a program of regular exercise to maximize the benefits of laser spine surgery.
A number of different spinal problems can be treated with laser spine surgery but a good surgeon will evaluate an individual carefully before back surgery of any kind is instigated.
November 30th, 2009 at 5:13 am
I have so many things going on in my back, I don’t know if I can remember what the doctor said, but here goes. DDD, Osteroarthisits,bone spurs on both sides of spine from neck to tail bone, ,spinal stensis,pinched nerve, ruptured disc. bulging disc, something about my scatic nerves. I think that is all.OH! a ruptured disc in my neck. I have had repaired in my neck in the past, one was 1999& another one in 2001.I have no Insurence, would laser spine surgery be right for me?