5 Benefits of Minimally Invasive TLIF Surgery

Few medical issues rival back pain regarding their impact on quality of life. While a vast majority of all Americans will suffer back pain during their lifetime, for about half of the patients with low back pain, the issue reoccurs or even becomes chronic. 

You are not alone if you count yourself among the millions of Americans who find standing, walking, and sitting comfortably challenging. Every year, Americans lose 83 million workdays because of back pain. 

Being sidelined from working or enjoying time with family and friends isn’t inevitable, says Neil Bhamb, MD. You may want to check out minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion or TLIF. In this blog, Dr. Bhamb explains TLIF and highlights five key benefits.

TLIF surgery explained

The prospect of having back surgery is a bit intimidating, but all surgical treatment options are not the same. And that’s where minimally invasive TLIF surgery comes in. 

Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion, or TLIF, is a type of spinal fusion surgery used to address pain caused by pinched or compressed nerves. The spine surgeon connects two or more vertebrae to prevent nerve compression during the procedure. The typical candidates for this type of surgery are patients with chronic back pain from conditions such as herniated discs, spondylolisthesis, or degenerative disc disease.

The benefits of minimally invasive TLIF versus traditional open spine surgery come down to two things – how the surgeon accesses the treatment area and how much trauma to tissue and muscles happens.

With minimally invasive TLIF, less is more

Traditional surgery, also known as open surgery, unfolds when the surgeon makes an incision in the skin and cuts through tissue and muscle to access the treatment area. With open spine surgery, the incision measures about six inches long.

While the same general actions take place for minimally invasive surgeries such as minimally invasive TLIF, less means so much more for patients. The minimally invasive TLIF is administered after a general anesthetic. Dr. Bhamb makes a small incision to gain access to the treatment area. Then, he slides a small tubular retractor through the incision.

Using this approach, Dr. Bhamb gains access to the treatment area by gently pushing muscle away from the spine instead of accessing the treatment area using a large incision and cutting into muscle, like open spine surgery does. Endoscopic spine surgery, or ESS, an advanced level of minimally invasive spine surgery, takes the less is more approach to the next level.

With ESS, Dr. Bhamb makes tiny incisions and uses small tools and an endoscope or camera with a small tubular system to view the vertebrae. With the ESS, the surgeon preserves even more tissue and muscle than the standard minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) approach, typically resulting in an enhanced range of spine mobility post-surgery.

Less trauma means more benefits

When a surgeon causes less trauma using MISS and ESS techniques, the scenario translates into more benefits for the patient. Five major benefits of minimally invasive TLIF surgery include: 

1. Less post-surgery pain

Smaller incisions and less cutting lead to less pain than traditional open surgery. When the patient experiences less pain, that also means they require less pain medication to feel comfortable after surgery.

2. Reduced risk of infection and complications

Similarly, smaller incisions and reduced trauma to muscles and tissues also mean less blood loss and wounds vulnerable to infections and germs.

3. Shorter hospital stays

While less pain and risk for infections are significant benefits of minimally invasive TLIF, less trauma also means that patients require less anesthesia, resulting in a bonus benefit – a shorter hospital stay. Since Dr. Bhamb performs the surgery through a small staging area using small tools like microtubes and a microscope, many patients often can go home the same day as their procedure.

4. More muscle preserved

MISS and ESS techniques and the corresponding minimized trauma and muscle damage translate into enhanced function and movement post-surgery. After months or years of pain and disability, the ability to move around more fully without pain and get back to living life is a welcome change.

6. Expedited healing and recovery

Perhaps the number one benefit for chronic back and neck pain is that minimally invasive spine surgery can dramatically expedite healing and recovery. Imagine getting off the sidelines of your life in a few months instead of up to a year.

If you suffer from chronic back pain and want to learn if you are a candidate for minimally invasive TLIF, contact our Century City or Marina Del Rey office. Book your appointment online or call us today.