Minimally Invasive, Maximally Effective: The Benefits of Endoscopic Spine Surgery

Minimally invasive surgical techniques have improved how we go about surgical procedures. When it comes to the complexities of spine surgery, the endoscope provides a long list of benefits. 

In fact, endoscopic spine surgery is the future. Our doctors at Coast Neurosurgical Associates in Long Beach, California, incorporate these techniques whenever possible. 

The drawbacks of open surgery

A surgeon needs to see when working on your body. For centuries, accessing the inside of your body meant cutting through layers of muscle and other tissue to find and correct a problem within. 

Working on the spine was a particular problem due to the thick sheets of muscle covering the back. Often, healing the wound required more recovery time after traditional open surgery.

Minimally invasive, maximally effective: the benefits of endoscopic spine surgery

Both patients and surgeons prefer the benefits and convenience of endoscopic spine surgery techniques. Let’s look at the benefits this minimally invasive approach produces. 

Smaller incisions

The endoscope is a tube-like surgical instrument that houses high-resolution video capability. It enters your body through an incision of about one-half an inch in length. 

Surgical work is performed through this incision, eliminating the multiple inch-long incisions required for open surgery. 

Faster recovery=less hospital time

With less tissue cut, less tissue needs to heal. There’s little or no need for physical therapy to rehabilitate damaged muscle, and more procedures can be performed as outpatient surgery. Hospital stays aren’t always necessary for these types of spinal procedures. 

Reduced complications

Smaller incisions mean less bleeding. There’s also less chance of infection when compared with conventional surgical approaches. 

Less pain

Smaller incisions hurt less. Muscles and nerves are minimally impacted, so there’s less risk of creating painful recovery conditions. 

Spinal protection

Because of the minimal footprint of endoscopic techniques, there’s no need to resection bone tissue to allow for surgical access. The stabilizing structures of the spine remain unaffected. 

Local anesthetics

Some spinal surgeries can be performed under local anesthesia, expanding the number of people who can benefit from spine procedures by skipping general anesthetic complications and risks. 

Avoid or delay spinal fusion

Endoscopic decompression can treat conditions that otherwise require invasive spinal fusion surgery. 

Improved surgical precision

The endoscope delivers high-resolution and magnified views of the surgical field, improving the accuracy and precision of our surgeon’s work. 

When you add up the many benefits of endoscopic spine surgery, it’s easy to see why it’s the obvious choice. Contact Coast Neurosurgical Associates when you require spine surgery to fully explore your endoscopic options. Call or click to book your appointment today.