What Type of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Might I Need?

The board-certified spine doctors in Nashville offer several types of minimally invasive spine surgery. One of the main ones is spinal fusion, which involves combining two or more vertebrae to form one solid unit.

Fusion stops the movement between your vertebrae that can cause back pain and often occurs after removing a herniated disc. This minimally invasive spine surgery can also help halt spinal abnormalities like scoliosis from getting worse and treat problems like lumbar instability and spinal injuries.

The Elite Sports Medicine and Orthopedics team specializes in several forms of spinal surgeries, including the following.

Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF)

ACDF involves taking out a damaged disc in your neck and fusing the vertebrae on either side. This process is completed through an incision in the front of your neck. Once the surgeon has removed the damaged disc, they insert a bone graft or interbody fusion cage to facilitate the fusion of the vertebrae.

Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF)

ALIF is a procedure where your surgeon accesses your spine from the front of your body to fuse vertebrae in your lower back. The surgeon replaces the disc with a bone graft, which helps the vertebrae fuse during the recovery process.

Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF)

XLIF is a way of accessing the vertebrae in your lower back through your side. It’s also known as lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF). Like other forms of this surgery, the doctor will remove the disc and insert an implant to help the bones fuse.

Microdiscectomy

Microdiscectomy removes herniated discs from the spine. Specifically, this surgery removes all or part of the herniated discs that put pressure on nerves. This surgery is minimally invasive because of advanced technologies that allow surgeons to view the spine with small incisions.

Laminectomy

During a laminectomy, your spine surgeon widens the spinal canal to relieve pressure on your nerves. To do this, the surgeon removes the lamina from the affected vertebra or vertebrae. When they remove the lamina or other bony growths, the nerves in your back have more room and should feel less pressure.

Artificial Disc Replacement

Doctors use this procedure to replace damaged or diseased cervical or lumbar discs. Your surgeon will remove the damaged portions of a disc through a small incision. Then, the doctor will insert the artificial disc at the location of the original.