Standard or “open” surgery calls for large incisions and longer recovery times. However, minimally invasive surgery is performed through small incisions that usually only require a few stitches to close. Utilizing new image guidance systems, St. Joseph Hospital's team of highly skilled spine surgeons can insert spinal instruments through one or more half-inch incisions.
For patients, the benefits of minimally invasive spinal surgery mean less trauma to the body, less blood loss, smaller surgical scars, reduced need for pain medication after surgery, a shorter hospital stay and a quicker return to daily activities.
The St. Joseph Hospital Spine Program currently utilizes minimally invasive surgery to perform spinal decompression and spinal fusion.