If you have a failed open back surgery or been told you need open back surgery including fusion, we welcome you to receive more information about minimally invasive laser spine surgery.

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Best Minimally Invasive Back Surgery Alternative

Learn why people who have wanted to avoid open back surgery or have had failed open back surgery are now considering Laser Spine Surgery.

 

Medical professionals expect that up to 85% of spinal surgery will eventually be done with the endoscopic laser back surgery technique.   

Advantages:

  • Quick recuperation (Surgery done through tiny incision with the use of arthroscope and you are generally back to work within a week)

  • No general anesthesia (You are awake during the procedure)

  • No overnight hospital stay (Procedure done on an outpatient basis)

  • No metal plates, screws, rods, and cages (Limits future problems)

  • Great Success Rate (90% + rate of success with our experienced surgeons)


The leaders in laser spine surgery have now made minimally invasive back surgery a possibility with advances in modern medicine, however, most back surgeons unfortunately aren't yet able to perform these innovative techniques.

See why Laser Spine Surgery is unlike open back surgery.  Learn how it has revolutionized back surgery recovery times and back surgery complications. See why people who have wanted to avoid back surgery or have had failed back surgery are now considering Laser Spine Surgery.

 

To receive additional information on Laser Spine Surgery, please fill out the contact form and we will have a trained Patient Advocate contact you to determine whether or not you may be a candidate and to qualify for a Free MRI Review.

 

 
 

Treats Conditions:

 

 

Are you a candidate?

 

Know the Facts about Failed Back Surgery

**  If you have had a failed open back surgery, or have been told by your doctor/surgeon that a "fusion" or open back surgery is what you need to consider, then you've fortunately found this website and owe it to yourself to learn more about minimally invasive LASER SPINE SURGERY.

Have you or a loved one been told that back surgery is the only option left?  But if your doctor suggests open back surgery compared to Laser Spine Surgery you may want to think twice.

If you have suffered a back injury and have chosen to have surgery, you assume that the worst is over and that the future will include less pain and suffering than before. However, this may not be the case with open back surgery.

FACT:  There are 1.2 million open back surgeries per year
FACT:  Up to 50% of open back surgeries fail.
FACT:  The human back and spine were not biologically designed to handle huge incisions through muscles and have hardware, screws, etc. implanted.
FACT:  Open back surgeries are highly expensive, much more risky, involve very long recovery times, and often result in the patient being worse off than before the surgery.  We know; we've corrected hundreds of these cases.  

Read How to Avoid Failed Open Back Surgery and Fusions

In open back surgery, a five- to six-inch incision may be needed in order to see the affected nerve root. In creating such a sizeable incision, a large area of muscle also has to be cut to make an opening of three to five centimeters, leading to back surgery risks of substantial blood loss.

Complications of back surgery also includes the use of general anesthesia, which depending on your age and overall health, there could be a greater risk of complications. In addition to the invasiveness of the surgery, back surgery side effects that need to be considered are the length of the stay in the hospital, the painful weeks/months of recuperation time, the use of pain medications necessary afterwards, and the time you will have to spend away from your work environment.

Another important complication after back surgery to consider is the likelihood of scar tissue formation. In many cases, the amount of back surgery scar tissue formation leads to additional spine conditions, which could eventually lead the patient to need another surgical procedure. Unfortunately, there is 60% success rate of full recovery of symptoms with open back surgery due to complications from back surgery.

 Back Surgery Scar

Scar tissue formation caused by back surgery can be extremely painful, limit mobility and flexibility, and greatly diminish quality of life. Extensive scar tissue build-up is typically associated with the long incisions and other tissue damage experienced during traditional open-back surgery.  While scar tissue itself is typically not painful, excessive formation of scar tissue can trigger pain if it binds or impinges on nerve roots.

As you can see, a number of different issues can cause a traditional open back or neck surgery to fail, leaving you without the desired results. However, there are a variety of minimally invasive procedures available to individuals suffering from back or neck pain that can reduce the risk of failed back surgery syndrome and increase the chances of seeing a positive change in quality of life.  You may be surprised to know that there are several ways to prevent Failed Back Surgery Syndrome, including:

  • Get second and third opinions on diagnoses
  • Always attempt conservative treatment methods before spine surgery
  • If surgery is necessary, opt for minimally invasive laser procedures
  • Become mobile again soon after surgery
  • Avoid procedures that utilize hardware, grafts, or prosthetics

 

There are many reasons that a back surgery may or may not work, and even with the best surgeon and for the best indications, spine surgery is no more than 95% predictive of a successful result.  Laser spine surgery offers a gentle and effective way to stop the pain and suffering from failed back surgeries.  We provide a number of safe and effective, outpatient procedures that are alternatives to traditional open spine surgery.  25% of the patients that our minimally invasive laser spine surgeons see are individuals who are suffering from Failed Back Surgery Syndrome due to traditional open back surgery.


In contrast to open back surgery, Laser Spine Surgery has:

-  90% + success rates
-  Increasingly sophisticated and increasingly less invasive procedures which correct all kinds of spinal issues
-  Laser spine surgeries are usually far less expensive and carry significantly less risk to the body
-  Incisions of an inch or less with surgical precision to correct the spinal issues
-  No metal plates, screws, rods or cages

**  Your insurance company may cover part or all of the cost of the procedure. 

Are you a Candidate to get your life back with Laser Spine Surgery?

Get Your Life Back

 

Keep in mind that the minimally invasive surgical methods require the special expertise of a surgeon, so you will need to inquire whether you are a candidate for minimally invasive laser spine surgery with a qualified surgeon.  Furthermore, certain minimally invasive techniques are highly technical and require significant training, and in cases where there is a lack of training, complications may occur.  Using a sub-par surgeon can lead to complications such as inadequate decompression, nerve injury, or infection.  Make sure you are comfortable with the qualifications, track record, and experience of your surgeon.

 

References:

 

Oct 2010 Wall Street Journal article about fusion surgeries

 

Arthroscopic Microdiscectomy: An Alternative to Open Disc Surgery
 
Proper patient selection includes careful review of preoperative imaging studies and assessment of radiculopathy and radiculitis if outcomes comparable to that of open laminotomy are to be obtained. Same-day scheduling, negligible blood loss, avoidance of general anesthesia, and minimizing scar tissue all lead to satisfactory outcomes as judged by the patients themselves. The authors are of the opinion that percutaneous endoscopic discectomy belongs in the armamentarium of every spinal surgeon.  Results: In terms of patients self-evaluation, satisfactory outcome rates of 85 – 92% were realized. The patients considered brief intravenous anesthesia and same-day scheduling preferable to general anesthesia and hospitalization needed for open laminotomy and discectomy. Fewer than 2% of the cases required a second surgery.
 
Minimally Invasive Cervical Microendoscopic Foraminotomy: An Initial Clinical Experience 
 
The MEF technique yielded clinical results equivalent to those of the open surgical group as well as to those described in the literature. MEF patients, however, had less blood loss, shorter hospitalizations, and a much lower postoperative pain medication requirement.
 
Posterior cervical microendoscopic foraminotomy. Prospective study 
 
The open anterior approach is more commonly performed for the treatment of degenerative cervical spine disease, but with the recent advances of endoscopical surgery it is possible to access the cervical spine to perform foraminotomy with a posterior approach or with an anterior one when discectomy and fusion techniques are needed, with superior clinical outcome and earlier post-operative recovery. Seventy-one patients (86 levels) underwent PMF. The clinic outcome was based according to ODOM's scale. The 82% of patients showed excellent and good results. Four patients underwent new foraminotomies and three required anterior endoscopic microdiscectomy and intersomatic fusion. Three patients presented transient numbness due to nerve root traction. The patient’s discharge from hospital was on the same day and 80.8% returned to their work during the first week.
 
Percutaneous laser disc decompression: clinical experience at SCTIMST and long term follow up
 
There was immediate pain relief in 32/40 (80%). According to MacNab criteria good to fair response was seen in 37/40 (92%) and 3 patients (7.5%) responded poorly to this treatment. On follow up which ranged from 1 to 7 years, 34/40 (85%) had pain relief with no need for further treatment. COMPLICATIONS: Significant pain at local puncture site was experienced by 8 (20%), pain during lasing was experienced by one. One patient developed muscular spasm. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous laser disc decompression is a safe, relatively noninvasive and effective treatment modality for contained, nonsequestered, herniated lumbar disc disease in carefully selected patients..