If you are living with relentless pain and constant discomfort in your lower spine; you are not alone. Living with compressed nerves in your lower spine can feel unbearable; and when conservative treatments fail, patients like you feel backed into a corner. While traditional lumbar decompression surgery becomes inevitable, at New York Pain and Spine we are making it possible to approach healing in an alternative way. Lumbar decompression is minimally invasive and offers pain relief, improved mobility, and your quality of life back. For New Yorkers looking to keep up with the Big City life, here is a breakdown of what this means.
As an alternative to traditional surgery, where the patient is under general anesthesia and needs long periods of rest and recovery, minimally invasive lumbar decompression relieves compression on the nerves and provides more room for them by removing small portions of bone or tissue. This is accomplished through a small incision with specialized tools, reducing trauma in the surrounding areas and minimizing downtime as well.
The lumbar decompression technique is designed to treat conditions where the spinal nerves in the lower back are being pinched; namely:
A minimally invasive lumbar decompression or MILD, requires the patient to lie on their stomach in a special operating table. The lower back is anesthetized for the doctor to insert a needle and inject a contrast dye. Making the area visible on an X-ray device that shows video images which allows the physician to see the compressed area. After this, the specialist makes a small incision to insert a hollow tube where thin tools will be introduced to remove small sections of bone or overgrown tissue. After removing them and decompressing the nerves and the spinal cord, the physician closes the area.
Each case should be evaluated and treated individually, but fortunately, more than 60% of patients with herniated discs respond well to conservative treatment. The main factors to consider when choosing treatment include:
Some benefits of this procedure include:
People who suffer from constant and painful low back pain due to lumbar spinal stenosis can benefit from this procedure. Especially those whose discomfort can’t be relieved through non-surgical methods—whether it’s rest, medications, steroid injections or physical therapy. MILD can also be advantageous for those who need surgery but don’t wish to undergo invasive procedures or can’t tolerate them due to health reasons.
The minimally invasive lumbar decompression procedure usually takes about an hour to be finished.
This lumbar decompression procedure involves an acceptable amount of radiation, which translates into insignificant in relation to health risks.
Being an outpatient procedure, patients don’t need to be admitted to the hospital and usually get discharged when anesthesia wears off and doctors check that everything is ok. After the MILD procedure patients can resume their usual activities in a few weeks, including working and driving.
The MILD procedure has reduced risks and complications compared to the open surgery alternative that include post-operatory pain, infections or bleeding, to name some.
If you are suffering from constant pain or numbness due to spinal stenosis you don’t need to live with those symptoms for the rest of your days. Even if non-surgical methods like medicine or rest are not enough to relieve your discomfort, you don’t have to choose going under the knife to try and find relief. No when there are options like the minimally invasive lumbar decompression procedure for you to try.
At New York Pain Medicine Associate we are specialists in the spine, its conditions and innovative treatments. Find a team of experts ready to tailor healing options for your spinal problem in New York. Contact us to see if this procedure is the right one for you. Our physiatrists and pain management experts in Bayridge, Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Hempstead, New York, are committed to helping our patients find relief and regain control of their everyday lives with our personalized care.