Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Sky Ridge Medical Center, Denver, Colorado

Right now, millions of Americans are experiencing some degree of back pain. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, back disorders account for 27% of all disabling occupational injuries in the United States. And the average direct cost of low-back-injury claims is more than twice that of all other occupational injury claims combined. To help treat back disorders, surgeons perform an estimated 500,000 spine surgeries in the United States annually.

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Key Advantages

• Less pain
• Less blood loss and risk
• Greatly reduced infection rate
• More precise placement of instrumentation via image guidance
• Much lower incidence of spinal fluid leaks caused by surgeon error
• Shorter hospital stays
• Quicker return to normal activities

According to Dr. Chad Prusmack, a neurosurgeon at Sky Ridge Medical Center, “Minimally invasive spine surgery achieves the same surgical goals as with open surgery, but with small incisions. In this way, we’re able to spare more tissue. We can treat just about any spine condition other than scoliosis. About 50-60% are degenerative conditions. Trauma injuries like herniated disks and fractures amount to about 30%. These often result from sports, especially football and mixed- martial-arts ultimate fighting, along with skiing and gymnastics. Motor vehicle accidents are also common. Then about 10-20% of our surgeries are for treating back tumors and infections.”