Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery: Common Questions From Prospective Patients

In any sense, spinal surgery could be deemed as one of the most serious musculoskeletal procedures a person can have. After all, the spine is the central point of the entire body. However, for many years, spinal surgery was extremely invasive because so much area of the spine would have to be revealed to properly achieve specific procedures during surgery.

Thankfully, advancements in medical technology have evolved the way spinal surgeries are performed and how invasive they can be. Minimally invasive spinal surgery, or MISS, is no the go-to approach for numerous spinal surgical treatments, from fusion to discectomies. Here is a look at some of the common questions about MISS and the answers you will want to know if you are a prospective patient. 

What is the difference between MISS and traditional spinal surgery?

The primary difference between MISS and traditional spinal surgery is the fact that the surgical incision does not have to be as broad or long to reach the affected area that needs to be repaired. MISS is often performed using tiny robotic tools, lasers, medical cameras, and other modern methods to make repairs instead of hand tools used by the surgeon. 

How are recovery times affected by MISS compared to regular spinal surgery?

Because the incision is not as big with MISS and the surrounding tissue is not as disturbed during the procedure, recovery times do tend to be shorter for most types of procedures. This is because it does not take the surrounding tissue as long to heal up after surgery. With traditional spinal surgeries, not only would the work done to the spine have to properly heal before a person could resume normal activities, but so would the incision site and the tissue around it. 

What types of surgery do not qualify for MISS?

In some situations, MISS is not a good fit for the condition. For example, if a patient needs a spinal fusion surgery but the vertebrae that are to be fused are located in the upper part of the spine in the neck, MISS is not the best option. This is because the vertebrae in the neck are more confined, with space to work with much more limited. Therefore, the usual tools may not work as well to give the surgeon an adequate look at what they're doing during the procedure. Additionally, some forms of MISS require several smaller incisions instead of one, which is not a good idea if a patient has a tendancy to heal more slowly. 

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