Low back pain that radiates down the leg. Numbness in fingers at night. A stroll to the monthly market! Once drugs and physio have failed, surgery comes up, and almost everyone asks the same question: Will I have a large cut on my back?
The straight answer is, it depends on the problem. Let's see how Dr Sujoy Sanyal guides patients through the difference between the two approaches.
With the traditional open surgery, the surgeon will make a longer cut along the spine and open the back muscles to expose the bone and nerves. Open surgery is still the best option for a severe deformity, tumor, infection, unstable multi-level issue and repeat surgery, as the view is wide and direct. The cost comes at the expense of greater disturbance to the muscle, loss of blood and typically a longer hospital stay.
The surgeon doesn't make one large cut, but rather one small cut – typically one to two centimetres. A tubular retractor is used to gently spread the muscle fibres without cutting them, and a microscope or endoscope provides a magnified view of the fibres. The goal of the surgery remains the same: to relieve a pinched nerve or stabilize an unstable segment. How much healthy tissue has been disturbed on the way in is what changes.
Since the muscle is not cut, a lot of patients are less painful, have less scarring, less blood loss and a reduced risk of wound infection after surgery. It is effective against slipped discs, spinal canal narrowing and some cases requiring fusion. The other thing that any potential candidate for minimally invasive spine surgery in Kolkata should be aware of is that it is not suitable for all surgeries. A few spines really do require an open spine, and the right surgeon will know that.
The minimally invasive spine surgery recovery time is significantly faster compared to traditional open spine surgery, although it varies by surgery, age, and overall health. People are walking within hours, then go home in 1 to 3 days, and back to desk work in 2 to 4 weeks. Following open surgery, patients may be in the hospital for a longer period and may not be able to return to their daily business for up to 6-12 weeks. However, it takes longer by either path as the bone takes months to knit.
The ranges are representative, not guarantees. Control of diabetes, smoking and body weight, as well as adherence to physiotherapy, all alter the outcome.
Here is a key difference in comparison of Minimally Invasive (keyhole) Surgery to Traditional Open Surgery in easy terms
Keyhole Surgery is gentler on your tissues, leading to smaller scars, less pain and is best suited for common and focused spine issues.
Open Surgery provides surgeons with a larger, direct view of the spine. It is necessary for complex and high-risk spinal conditions.
The choice of technique is not a choice of the "newest" technique. It is based on your MRI, your symptoms, how your nerves are functioning and what you have to return to doing. Surgery is generally reserved for when pain persists despite good treatment, if weakness is increasing or if bladder/bowel control is impaired. If not, doctors will consider non-surgical treatment first.
It is not always the best minimally invasive spine surgeon in Kolkata, and it is better to ask the surgeon whether the approach is the right one for the spine, even if it's a larger surgery.
If you are looking for a top spine surgeon in Kolkata or travelling to the city from another state to see a top spine surgeon in India, ask the following three questions: why this technique for me, what are the risks in my case, and what happens if I choose to wait.
