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EDISCSCULPTDuring and after any surgery, it is important to manage pain well. Effective pain management helps the healing process occur more smoothly, as well as increasing the patient's quality of life. In addition, since most patients seeking spine surgery have been experiencing pain for months or even years, it is common to desire quick relief.
Traditionally, back surgery, though effective, entailed a long and painful recovery process. However, since the advent of laser spine surgery, most routine back conditions can be treated without causing excessive pain. This allows patients to return to their normal lives after only a fraction of the downtime associated with traditional surgery.
Traditional Spine Surgery
Open back surgery is a very invasive procedure, and it is that invasive nature which causes most of the associated pain. Pain management after surgery is intensive and lengthy; the need for prescription painkillers is part of what makes the recovery process so long. While it reduces pain in the long-term, traditional spine surgery causes considerable discomfort in the short-term. Neurological symptoms, however, are relieved immediately.
Unless modern technologies such as laser surgery and other minimally invasive techniques are applied, surgeons must cut through large swaths of tissue to gain access to the spine. They must use a scalpel to peel away several inches of skin, muscle, and connective tissue to access a small portion of the spine. Then, to gain access to the spinal cord, it is usually necessary to remove a small part of the vertebrae.
This process is both lengthy and painful, which is why it is necessary to put patients under general anesthesia during the surgery. If you have open back surgery, an anesthesiologist will attend the entire procedure, to ensure that you stay asleep and are given the correct amount of medicine. Following surgery, patients must stay in the hospital for 4-5 days. During this time, the wound is carefully treated to prevent infection and hasten healing. In addition, this period requires the most extensive pain management.
After returning home, patients still cannot return to work, and most require prescription medication to reduce pain. Because the wound is large and extensive, pain can be severe if untreated, and it takes a long period of time for patients to return to full mobility. Over several weeks or months, the wound heals and the patient undergoes physical therapy, at which point the pain subsides.
Laser Spine Surgery
While open back surgery has its place in the treatment of rare or serious conditions, most routine back problems can now be treated using laser surgery and other minimally invasive techniques. Laser spine surgery eliminates the need to cut through large swaths of tissue, and there is no large wound. In fact, laser spine surgery can be performed in an outpatient setting; patients return home the same day instead of staying in the hospital for 4 to 5 days.
In contrast to open back surgery, with laser spine surgery:
Traditionally, back surgery, though effective, entailed a long and painful recovery process. However, since the advent of laser spine surgery, most routine back conditions can be treated without causing excessive pain. This allows patients to return to their normal lives after only a fraction of the downtime associated with traditional surgery.
Traditional Spine Surgery
Open back surgery is a very invasive procedure, and it is that invasive nature which causes most of the associated pain. Pain management after surgery is intensive and lengthy; the need for prescription painkillers is part of what makes the recovery process so long. While it reduces pain in the long-term, traditional spine surgery causes considerable discomfort in the short-term. Neurological symptoms, however, are relieved immediately.
Unless modern technologies such as laser surgery and other minimally invasive techniques are applied, surgeons must cut through large swaths of tissue to gain access to the spine. They must use a scalpel to peel away several inches of skin, muscle, and connective tissue to access a small portion of the spine. Then, to gain access to the spinal cord, it is usually necessary to remove a small part of the vertebrae.
This process is both lengthy and painful, which is why it is necessary to put patients under general anesthesia during the surgery. If you have open back surgery, an anesthesiologist will attend the entire procedure, to ensure that you stay asleep and are given the correct amount of medicine. Following surgery, patients must stay in the hospital for 4-5 days. During this time, the wound is carefully treated to prevent infection and hasten healing. In addition, this period requires the most extensive pain management.
After returning home, patients still cannot return to work, and most require prescription medication to reduce pain. Because the wound is large and extensive, pain can be severe if untreated, and it takes a long period of time for patients to return to full mobility. Over several weeks or months, the wound heals and the patient undergoes physical therapy, at which point the pain subsides.
Laser Spine Surgery
While open back surgery has its place in the treatment of rare or serious conditions, most routine back problems can now be treated using laser surgery and other minimally invasive techniques. Laser spine surgery eliminates the need to cut through large swaths of tissue, and there is no large wound. In fact, laser spine surgery can be performed in an outpatient setting; patients return home the same day instead of staying in the hospital for 4 to 5 days.
In contrast to open back surgery, with laser spine surgery:
- The procedure can be performed using only local anesthesia and sometimes a mild sedative
- After surgery, pain can usually be managed with over-the-counter medications
- Patients can usually start physical therapy the next day, and return to work in about a week
- Pain is often relieved immediately as the surgery takes place
- The risk of painful complications such as infection is reduced
Patients who undergo laser spine surgery experience less pain for a shorter period of time, allowing a faster overall recovery. This is great news for patients who have been suffering for many months due to spine conditions - a fast, low-pain recovery is ideal when the quality of life has been diminished for so long.
To find out if laser spine surgery is right for you, please call the Datta Endoscopic Back Surgery and Pain Center at 212-420-0312.
info@dattaendoscopic.com