Laser Spine Surgery - A Myth?
A common misconception among patients is that spine surgery can be exclusively done using lasers. While minimally invasive surgical technology has grown by leaps and bounds, lasers have actually been around for a long time. In fact, lasers have been used in medicine since 1973. Yet, there is no compelling argument for its use in spine surgery. The reality is that lasers are practically useless when it comes to spine surgery. Let us examine this a little more closely to see why. Spinal surgery is usually done to relieve pain and other difficulties by either decreasing pressure on a compressed nerve or by stabilizing the spine. In case of disc herniations (protrusions) or rupture, the damaged portion of the disc is removed in a procedure known as discectomy. A laminectomy is done to remove bone spurs or growths that may be impinging on a surrounding nerve. Spine stabilizations or fusions are done by securing two or more vertebral bones together using metal or plastic implants. While th