The Next Generation of Spine Surgery

Vista Health

If someone mentioned back surgery 30 years ago, people would cringe. The results were often dismal and unpredictable. Today, things have changed dramatically. Technology has advanced and these surgeries can be done using minimally invasive techniques.

Herniated disks and lumbar stenosis can now be treated successfully at Vista Health System with 30-minute outpatient surgerical procedures. Incisions are smaller (usually less than 1 inch), and patients can return to work in a few days. Similarly, cervical procedures cam also be done in this manner and oftentimes patients don't need to wear a collar.

Neurosurgery is excelling with the use of minimally invasive and endoscopic approches to the brain and spine, as well as robotics and intraoperative navigation techonology like the Stryker Navigation System at Vista Medical Center East.

Symptoms of Spine Disease

Spine disease, including herniated disks or stenosis of the neck and back, is incerdibly common. Symptoms usually include weakness, neck and back pain, shooting pain into the arms or legs (sciatica), numbness, paresthesias (the sensation of pins and needles) and less often, urinary incontinence. Diagnosis for these conditions is best made with an MRI scan, which Vista offers at four locations in Lake County.

Herniated disks may press on the nerve roots branching out from the spinal cord or, less often, on the spinal cord itself. A spinal disks is similar to a grape, with a thick outer skin and gelatinous center. When the outer layer tears, the softer jelly may push out on the nerves and cause symptoms.

Herniated disks are more common in people under age 50 since disks dry out with age and have less jelly to push out. Older individuals are more likely to suffer from spinal stenosis, in which parts of the vertebrae rub against each other (since the dried-out disks no longer keeps them well-separated), and bone spurs form that press on the nerves.

Stay Active

Despite the wondeful improvements in surgical options, the best treatment for spine problems is prevention. Stay active! Maintain a regular exercise program and a healthy weight. Focus on non-axial loading exercises, such as swimming and biking. Try to use your legs to lift and not your back.