Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
Neurosurgery located in Birmingham, AL
Minimally invasive spine surgery offers the chance to correct a wide range of issues without significant tissue displacement. These procedures are an area of specialty for the team at Alabama Neurological Surgery & Spine in Birmingham, Alabama. If you’d like more information, call the office to schedule a visit, or book online in just a few clicks.
Minimally invasive spine surgery is an approach that seeks to correct spine issues without displacing a significant amount of tissue. There are a number of different approaches, all of which strive to alter targeted tissue while leaving surrounding tissue types undisturbed.
The team at Alabama Neurological Surgery & Spine makes every effort to help patients find relief through nonsurgical treatments. However, when less invasive options fail to deliver results, the team offers extensive experience in minimally invasive surgery treatments.
Minimally invasive spine surgery only requires a few small incisions. Practitioners guide incredibly slim surgical tools to the treatment site and alter tissues using real-time imaging displayed on an external screen. Anesthesia ensures you remain comfortable throughout the process.
Minimally invasive surgery offers a number of benefits and is the preferred surgical approach whenever possible. Some of the reasons why patients and practitioners prefer this option include:
Most minimally invasive surgeries create an easier recovery process for patients. This helps you get back on your feet and back into the swing of daily routines as quickly as possible.
Traditional spine surgery requires a large incision down the back and moving the muscle tissue out of the way to access the spinal vertebrae, discs, and nerves deep within the body. Minimally invasive surgery uses smaller incisions, guiding instruments, microscopes, or video cameras. Often, a rigid metal tube called a tubular retractor is used to keep muscles and soft tissues out of the way to prevent the surgeon from cutting directly through the muscles. In other cases, your provider uses computer navigation and robots to safely and accurately place screws and rods through small skin incisions. Despite what you may have heard, lasers are rarely utilized in spine surgery. Minimally invasive spine surgery techniques can be used to perform discectomy, laminectomy (or spinal decompression), and spinal fusion surgery.
Did you know there are also minimally invasive treatment options for brain tumors? Some brain tumors can be diagnosed and treated with minimally invasive biopsies and/or stereotactic radiosurgery.
Stereotactic radiosurgery offers the chance to alter internal tissues without any form of incision, meaning it is not technically a surgical procedure at all. The process uses precisely focused beams of radiation to alter internal tissues and kill tumor cells without breaking the surface of your skin. This technique is a wonderful treatment option for certain types of brain tumors as well as trigeminal neuralgia.
When you come in for your initial visit, your practitioner reviews your medical history and performs an assessment to determine the best treatment options. You learn the pros and cons of various approaches, including minimally invasive spine surgery.
When you’re ready to begin, booking a visit is as simple as a phone call or a few moments online.