You Are Not Alone
Eight out of 10 adults experience back pain in their life.1,2
The spine is one of the most complex structures in the human body and plays a critical role in allowing movement and providing stability. Damage due to an injury or condition can affect the spine’s ability to move like it should, and you may experience symptoms including pain or discomfort, numbness, weakness, muscle stiffness, and more.
No matter the cause, this can be debilitating for many people. Whether your back pain resulted from a minor injury or you experience chronic pain and haven’t found relief, ultra-minimally invasive endoscopic procedures have been shown to provide relief,3 improve function, and preserve the natural motion of the spine.
What Is Endoscopic Spine Surgery?
Endoscopic spine surgery is an ultra-minimally invasive surgical technique performed by either an orthopedic surgeon or neurosurgeon. Often, these procedures can be performed in an outpatient setting, potentially allowing you to go home the same day.4
Specially designed instruments like the endoscope, which is about the width of a pencil tip, allow surgeons to view and reach small areas of the spine without the need for the large incision required for traditional back surgery. This minimizes disruption and damage to muscles responsible for stabilizing the back and reduces the need to remove bone.
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Cervical, Thoracic, and Lumbar
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Patient-Specific Treatment Options
There are several endoscopic spine procedures designed to treat often-painful conditions including herniated discs, spinal stenosis, arthritis, and osteoarthritis by targeting the specific area causing pain.
Your doctor may recommend one of these options if:
- Nonsurgical treatments (such as pain medication, physical therapy, steroid injections, and nerve blocks) have stopped working or are not right for you
- You are not a candidate for more invasive surgeries (such as spinal fusion)
- You have undergone surgery, like a fusion, but are still experiencing pain and/or other symptoms
In diagnosing your condition and identifying the best treatment, your doctor will consider x-ray and MRI results, your medical and treatment history, postoperative goals, and other factors. Discuss with your physician whether you are a candidate for an endoscopic spine procedure.
What It Treats
Facet joint arthritis that causes low-back pain
What It Is
A procedure that pinpoints the source of pain and addresses it
How It Works
Your surgeon will use an ultra-minimally invasive endoscopic approach to reach and view the medial branch nerve, then transect it. By cutting this sensory nerve, neural receptors can no longer receive the pain signals transmitted from nearby arthritic joints and the nerve cannot grow back to cause pain again.
What Are the Benefits?
- More permanent than radiofrequency ablation
- 75% of patients had significantly reduced pain after 5 years12
What It Treats
Herniated discs and spinal stenosis
What It Is
Most commonly used to treat herniated discs in the lower back, generally at the L4/L5 or L5/S1 levels of the lumbar spine
How It Works
Your surgeon will use small ultra-minimally invasive instrumentation, including a spine endoscope and high-resolution camera, to reach the herniated disc, then remove and repair it.
What Are the Benefits?
- “Bandage” surgery requiring just a tiny incision
- Similar outcomes for pain, patient satisfaction, hospital stay, and complications compared to transforaminal approach13
What It Treats
Herniated discs
What It Is
Most commonly used to treat herniated discs in the lower back, generally at the L4/L5 or L5/S1 levels of the lumbar spine
How It Works
Your surgeon will make a small incision along the “ridge” of your back above the herniated disc. The ultra-minimally invasive endoscope allows your surgeon to get a direct view of the herniation and remove it so the disc can be repaired.
