Laser spine surgery is a technique that orthopedic spinal surgeons use to treat spinal conditions while being as minimally invasive as possible. This is to reduce injury and destruction to the soft tissue and bone surrounding the area that the surgeons are trying to repair. The less soft tissue and bone not injured during surgery, the faster the patient can recover and resume life.
If your spinal condition is painful or diminishes your quality of life due to nonsurgical treatments that aren’t bringing relief, you should consider the expertise of a laser spine surgeon. Our team at NJ Spine & Orthopedic can perform minimally-invasive laser procedures that can get you back to enjoying activities you once did sooner rather than later.
5 Common Spinal Conditions Treated Through Laser Surgery
The viability of laser spine surgery depends on a number of variables, including the particular ailment, its severity, and certain patient characteristics. However, the following conditions are often treatable with laser spine surgery:
1. Herniated Discs
Herniated, bulging, slipped, or ruptured discs are the most common conditions that lasers can treat successfully. The normal function of a spinal disc is that it provides shock absorption for the spine and keeps it stable. When the outer part of the disc is damaged, this is called a herniated disc.
The disc needs to be made smaller by minimizing inflammation or physically reducing its size to ensure the hernia no longer affects the nerves around it or the disc returns to its normal function. An orthopedic spinal surgeon may need to perform laser surgery to decrease the size of a herniated or bulging disc.
2. Spinal Stenosis
Laser surgery can also be employed to treat spinal stenosis, a condition characterized by the narrowing of the spinal canal. By removing the bone or tissue that is causing the narrowing, the procedure aims to alleviate pressure on the spinal cord and nerves.
3. Pinched Nerves
Conditions such as foraminal stenosis or foraminal narrowing can lead to pinched nerves in the spine. Laser spine surgery may be utilized to remove the source of compression and relieve the associated pain and discomfort.
4. Facet Joint Syndrome
Facet joints are small joints located between the vertebrae in the spine. When these joints become inflamed or damaged, it can cause chronic back pain. Laser spine surgery can be employed to treat facet joint syndrome by removing or ablation of the affected tissue.
5. Bone Spurs
Laser technology can be used to remove bone spurs that develop on the vertebrae. Bone spurs can cause pain and impinge on surrounding nerves, and laser spine surgery can help alleviate these symptoms.
How Is Laser Surgery Conducted?
Laser surgery makes it possible for incisions to be much smaller than in traditional spinal surgeries. Since the incisions are tiny, there’s no need to maneuver or move the surrounding tissue away from the targeted area, causing further injuries to recover from. Laser surgeries that can relieve common back issues include:
- Endoscopic discectomy
- Percutaneous cervical disc nucleoplasty
- Percutaneous laser discoplasty
Endoscopic discectomy requires that the surgeon inserts small tubes into the incisions. These tubes allow the insertion of a tiny endoscope and a laser tool to remove protruding materials and strengthen the disc to prevent more leakage.
Percutaneous cervical disc nucleoplasty allows the surgeon to insert a tube into the damaged disc to dissolve excess material inside, allowing the hernia to withdraw back into the disc, returning functionality.
Percutaneous laser discoplasty shrinks the outer walls of the disc with laser pulses, relieving the hernia and pressure on the disc. This laser method also allows the affected area to return to its normal function.
Don’t Wait to Contact the Laser Spine Surgeons at NJ Spine & Orthopedic to Help Relieve Your Pain
The award-winning laser spine surgeons at NJ Spine & Orthopedic are experts when performing minimally-invasive laser surgeries on spinal conditions that nonsurgical methods cannot treat. Their expertise offers less downtime and a quicker recovery for the patient than most traditional spinal surgeries.
The laser spine surgeons at NJ Spine and Orthopedic can relieve the symptoms your spine condition is causing by performing minimally invasive laser surgery. If you’ve tried everything to treat pain from a spinal condition and nothing works, call us at (866) 553-0612 or complete our contact form for more information.