If you need to have surgery on your spine, you will likely have a consultation with your doctor during which they discuss your options. The exact surgical procedure they recommend will depend on what exactly is wrong with your spine. However, they will likely give you the option of two different approaches: a minimally invasive spine procedure, or classic open surgery. Open surgery is often cheaper, and you may be tempted to go with it because it's the more common and well-known approach. However, in spite of being new, minimally invasive spine surgery actually has a lot of benefits. Learn about a few of them below.
You won't lose as much blood
With minimally invasive spine surgery, your surgeon will only make a couple of small incisions, and then they'll insert small surgical instruments through those incisions. Compare this to the open surgery approach where they'll make a long incision down the majority of your back. There's a lot less blood loss with the minimally invasive approach because the incision is smaller. You won't need as many (if any) units of blood during surgery, and you won't feel as drained afterwards.
The procedure is often more accurate
Spine surgery is a delicate process. Your surgeon needs to be very careful not to touch or damage any of the many nerves in the area they are operating on. In a minimally invasive surgery, your surgeon will typically use some type of robotic apparatus to ensure the surgical tools go where they should. This is more accurate than simply handling tools by hand, as is done with open surgery. The risk of accidental injuries and damage is therefore lower with a minimally invasive surgery.
You won't take as long to heal
You don't realize how often you move or bend your back until you have to avoid stretching an incision on your back post-surgery. The smaller incisions from minimally invasive surgery heal a lot faster and are less likely to pop open if you accidentally bend further than you should. You will have less pain during healing too, since less muscle is damaged when the incisions are made.
You won't need as many pain relievers
Pain relievers are like the catch-22 of surgical recovery. They make you more comfortable, but they can cause side effects like itchiness and nausea. With a minimally invasive approach, you'll have less pain during healing, so you won't have to take as many pain relievers. In the long run, this is much better for your health.
Even though you may have to pay more out-of-pocket, it's worth opting for a minimally invasive approach when you have spine surgery. Your spine is a delicate area and healing this area takes a lot of time. The minimally invasive approach addresses both these concerns.