Minimally Invasive Techniques for Spinal Conditions Provide Quick, Full Recoveries

Whether you have an acute back injury or a serious spine condition, the team at Miami Neuroscience Institute has extensive experience that includes minimally invasive techniques and more complex spine surgeries.

Even with the most experienced spine surgeons in the region, the Institute’s physicians understand that minimally invasive surgery can be the best treatment option, explains Michael E. Gomez, M.D., neurosurgeon and director of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Miami Neuroscience Institute.

Watch now: Hear from Michael E. Gomez, M.D., neurosurgeon and director of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Miami Neuroscience Institute. Video by Steve Pipho. 

This type of spine surgery has many advantages and can be applied to a range of conditions including degenerative disc disease, a condition in which pain is caused by a disc that wears down. Factors that can cause discs to degenerate including the drying out of the disc with age, tears in the outer portion of the disc from daily activities or intense physical activity or sports over time. An injury can also be a factor.

“Typically, minimally invasive techniques are used for the lumbar spine, for treatment of sciatica, treatment of deformities, and treatment of degenerative disc disease,” said Dr. Gomez. “I typically prefer minimally invasive spine surgery whenever possible because it results in less tissue injury, less blood loss and, in the end, the patients were able to recover quicker from surgery.”

A patient’s recovery from minimally invasive spine surgery is “fairly quick,” he says.

“Patients typically arrive to the hospital in the morning and have surgery,” said Dr. Gomez. “Four hours after surgery, we have them walking around the halls with the physical therapists and the nursing staff. It’s usually one night in the hospital — and by two to four weeks — they’re back at work.”

The Institute emphasizes a conservative approach that starts with non-surgical treatments and minimally invasive procedures whenever possible.

“Spine surgery can cause a lot of apprehension in patients, mostly due to things they’ve heard from friends, relatives,” Dr. Gomez adds. “But with minimally invasive techniques, the recovery can be shortened. People can be back at work pretty quickly. And, in the end, we can see a really meaningful return in function.”