If you are suffering from a spinal condition that is causing you severe pain, you may have been told that surgery is your best and/or only option to get the pain relief you are looking for. However, it is understandable if you are worried about back surgery and the ramifications of such a procedure. Before you decide to go on living in massive amounts of pain to avoid surgery, get to know some of the facts about minimally invasive spine procedures and surgery. Then, you can discuss your options with your doctor and come up with a treatment plan you are comfortable with.
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Reduces Scarring
One of the factors you may be considering when it comes to getting spinal surgery is the scarring. You do not have to worry about this as much with a minimally invasive spine procedure. The incision will be quite small and because of that the scarring will be minimal if noticeable at all. The incision could be just millimeters in size.
You Will Need Less Pain Medication
Another concern for you regarding surgery may be the need for pain medications after the fact. Minimally invasive procedures cut down on the number of pain relievers you need after back surgery. This is especially important to keep in mind if you have or are afraid of having an opioid addiction.
Your Infection Risks Are Lower
When you get minimally invasive spine surgery, the risk of developing an infection in the incision site is greatly reduced. You will not have to worry as much about complications in general, in fact because the risks are so much lower than with a more invasive procedure.
Sometimes, You Will Only Need Local Anesthesia
Many people are afraid of going under anesthesia. If you've had bad reactions to anesthesia in the past, it is completely within reason to be worried. Some of the minimally invasive spine procedures do not require general anesthesia but can be done with a local anesthetic. This not only saves you from worrying about the anesthesia but can also make the amount of time you spend in the hospital following surgery much shorter.
Some Can Be Outpatient Procedures
What may be surprising to you is that these minimally invasive surgeries can sometimes be done as outpatient procedures. This means you will only spend a matter of hours in the hospital as opposed to days. You can recover in the comfort of your own home.
With these facts about minimally invasive spine surgery in mind, you can discuss this option with services like The Anand Spine Group and go into your surgery with greater understanding and confidence.