Laser Spine Surgery

Laser spine surgery is an excellent choice for patients suffering from a variety of spinal conditions. This form of minimally invasive surgery provides an alternative to regular surgical procedures when other treatment methods have not produced the desired results. Laser techniques offer faster recovery times with fewer complications.

What Is Laser Spine Surgery?

Laser surgery uses light beams to create incisions (or cuts) instead of surgical instruments. “Laser” stands for “Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation.”

Laser surgery is often a good choice for chronic pain cases where fusion (the surgical joining of two or more segments of bones) is not the recommended treatment. The skin and muscle tissues need to be moved away from the spine to expose the problem areas when regular spinal surgery is performed. However, laser surgery eliminates the need for incisions and the need to manipulate or move surrounding tissue.

Patients with chronic pain conditions, where fusion is not the recommended treatment, are often good candidates for laser surgery. In cases where multiple incisions may be required or multiple vertebrae are affected, laser may not be the right choice for treatment.

Regular spinal surgery involves incisions made by scalpels or other surgical tools. The muscle tissues must be moved away from the spine to access the problem areas. Laser surgery eliminates multiple large incisions and the need to manipulate or move surrounding tissue.

Common Spine Procedures Updated With Laser Technology

Endoscopic discectomy is a type of laminectomy that uses laser technology to achieve results. This technique is useful for removing damaged disc materials in the lower back and neck. With endoscopic treatment, no muscle damage or bone loss occurs. X-ray imaging and video is used to guide a probe into disc areas.

A small tube is inserted into the spinal column for imaging and surgery, thus eliminating the need to cut muscles and tissue. Portions of herniated discs can be removed and small bulges or tears can be repaired with laser treatments. The laser removes the materials and strengthens the disc to eliminate leaky materials that can aggravate surrounding nerves.

Other procedures that can be performed via laser technology include:

• Percutaneous cervical disc nucleoplasty
• Percutaneous laser discoplasty
• Facet ablation (rhizotomy)

Percutaneous Cervical Disc Nucleoplasty

Percutaneous cervical disc nucleoplasty is another option to relieve a herniated disc. In this procedure, a small tube is inserted into the damaged disc to allow a probe to dissolve excess material. Only a limited amount is removed, allowing the hernia to retract and the spine to remain stable while reducing the pressure inside the disc.

Percutaneous Laser Discoplasty

Percutaneous laser discoplasty uses laser pulses to heat the herniated disc area and shrink the outer walls. This relieves the hernia and pressure on the disc, allowing it to return to its proper function. This laser procedure also uses a thin tube to direct the light to the area being treated.

Rhizotomy

Facet ablation, or rhizotomy, is a technique that uses a laser to remove damaged nerves that are sending pain signals. Candidates for this type of procedure do need to go through a thorough evaluation process to determine if rhizotomy is the correct solution.

Learn More About Laser Spine Surgery

If you or someone you love is suffering from painful or uncomfortable symptoms from an underlying spine condition, laser spine surgery from NJ Spine and Ortho may be the most effective treatment. Try our free Treatment Finder tool below to begin seeking the best solution to your pain.