Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Specialists

The Elite Sports Medicine and Orthopedics team uses minimally invasive spine surgery techniques to perform complex operations without having to make large incisions into your tissues.

MISS only requires small cuts, through which your surgeon fits a device called a tubular retractor. The retractor pushes your muscles aside to form a channel through which your surgeon can access your spine.

Your surgical team uses a moving X-ray called fluoroscopy and an operating microscope to see the surgical site in great detail. They place specialized instruments down the retractor to complete your spinal surgery.

There are numerous reasons you might need spine surgery. In many cases, your doctor will recommend other treatments to manage pain, such as physical therapy, braces, and medications. If these techniques prove ineffective, a spine doctor might recommend surgery. 

Some examples of issues that can lead to surgery include:

• Degenerative disc disease
• Herniated discs
• Severe scoliosis
• Painful bone spurs
• Adjacent segment disease
• Synovial cyst

A spine specialist can help direct you to the right treatment plan. If you need surgery, our doctors can perform it using minimally invasive techniques.

Getting surgery is typically the last thing that patients want to do when it comes to treating their neck pain and back pain. At Elite Sports Medicine, our sugeons always want to focus on treating patients with non-surgical techniques. Our spine doctors will only recommend spine surgery if they feel that it is the only option.

Your lifestyle, weight, and whether your pain is acute or chronic can all have an impact on how you will do in surgery and recovery. It is our spine surgeons top priority to make sure that you are safe. Luckily with minimally invasive spine surgery, there is less risk, pain, and recovery time involved. 

If you have any concerns about minimally invasive spine surgery be sure to ask your back doctor any questions you may have. 

Minimally invasive spine surgery has some notable benefits when compared with traditional open surgery, including:

• Less blood loss
• Lower levels of pain after surgery
• Reduced risk of infection
• Shorter stay in the hospital
• Minimal scarring
• Quicker recovery

The Elite Sports Medicine + Orthopedics team specializes in MISS to treat a range of back and neck problems.

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.