Regain Your Backbone: Can Outpatient Spine Surgery Help With Pain Management?

What Happens During Traditional Spine Surgery?

Doctors perform spine surgery on patients suffering from chronic back pain. Back pain can be caused by dislocated or ruptured spinal discs, infections, spinal deformities, tumors, and diseases. Before traditional spine surgery, doctors place patients under general anesthesia prior to making a sizable incision along the back or abdomen. Next, surgeons separate the spinal muscle tissues from the bone. Then, doctors perform the surgical procedure, reattach the tissues, and close the incision.

The issues with traditional spine surgery

Generally, doctors believe that traditional spine surgery is the best intervention for correcting significant spinal issues. However, traditional surgery can be taxing on the body and lead to problematic side effects. Traditional surgical patients are more susceptible to muscle or skin infections due to large incisions and muscle detachment from bone. Patients also deal with longer recovery times, longer surgical times, and possibly negative interactions with anesthesia.

How is outpatient spine surgery minimally invasive?

Minimally invasive procedures are done with specialized instruments that require smaller incisions. For example, an endoscopic transforaminal lumbar discectomy only requires a small puncture in the skin for needle insertion. Surgeons use an endoscope, a small instrument with a camera attached, to video the area and perform the procedure. The procedure lasts for two hours and doesn’t require large incisions or significant recovery time.

The recovery process and pain management for traditional surgery

Oftentimes, a large-scale spine surgery results in a painful recovery process. Many patients must take prescription strength medications like opioids to manage the pain. In recent times, there has been much debate about the usage and side effects of opioid medications. Opioid usage can lead to addiction, and the government, along with the medical community, has taken steps to limit access to opioid medications. Therefore, patients recovering from traditional spine surgery fight an uphill battle in finding pain management options.

How minimally invasive surgery can reduce pain

Both general and local anesthesia may be used during a minimally invasive spine surgery. Local anesthesia is injected into body to numb the surgical area before the procedure. After the outpatient surgery, patients are given antibiotics and monitored for a couple of hours before getting released. To alleviate pain, patients may receive steroidal, non-steroidal, narcotic, or over-the-counter medications. Sometimes, doctors prescribe anti-inflammatory or anti-seizure meds to help with nerve pain.

Do patients experience less pain with minimally invasive surgery?

The benefit of this surgery is the lack of invasiveness. When surgeons don’t have to perform a large-scale surgery that requires major incisions and tissue removal, the body experiences less trauma. The belief is that patients experience less pain when the surgery is minimally invasive. Furthermore, patients don’t have to take heavy medication for long periods to recover from surgery.

Benefits of a doctor

People interested in learning more about spine surgery and minimally invasive options should consult a physician or a surgeon. A physician or surgeon will answer all surgery related questions and determine if a person is a good candidate for minimally invasive spine procedures.