If you have ever had back pain that lasts for more than a day or two you know how painful, exhausting and negatively life-changing this type of pain can be. The biggest issue with back pain is that any movement of the body, including the arms or legs, is going to result in a stab of pain. You cannot immobilize the spine and everything you do is going to involve some type of movement of the muscles around the spine or the spinal column itself.
Defining Chronic Back Pain
Back Doctor in Birmingham, AL at Southlake Orthopaedics are well aware of just how devastating back pain can be for patients. When it is chronic, meaning it lasts longer than six weeks and cannot be managed by traditional pain medications and treatment options, new technology provides additional options for treatment. These options were not available even a couple of decades ago and offer much less invasive options for complete treatment.
Traditional Surgery Versus Minimally Invasive Procedures
One of the biggest problems with the old style of traditional back surgery was the size of the incisions and the recovery time involved after the procedure. It was and is not uncommon for traditional back surgeries to require one or more incisions that may be seven to ten inches in length. These incisions are now replaced by a very small keyhole incision, just large enough to insert an endoscope or laser that allows pinpointing of the area of damage to the spine.
The minimally invasive procedure can be completed by back doctors in Birmingham, AL, without the need for general anesthesia in many cases, and with minimal damage to the tissue around the spine. This means dramatically.
