What Are the Pros and Cons of Minimally Invasive Surgery After a Car Accident?
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, don’t hesitate to see a doctor. Spine and back injuries are common auto accident injuries. Your spinal vertebrae and other essential elements in your back, like nerves and muscles, can also be damaged in a car accident. And, while you may feel fine immediately after your accident, in days or weeks, you may begin feeling pain or other signs of serious injuries. You may even require surgery to have the injury repaired.
Following a car accident, you must have a medical professional examine you to determine the extent of your injuries and see if you require treatment, such as minimally invasive surgery. Here you’ll learn the pros and cons of minimally invasive surgery and other essential information you’ll want to know following a car accident.
Types of Auto Accident Injuries
You have numerous muscles, bones, and nerves in your back and spinal cord. While sitting in a car, your back is vulnerable, and you can be seriously injured in an accident. Some common types of car accident injuries that spine specialists treat include:
- Herniated disc
- Fractured vertebral body
- Injuries to the thoracic, cervical, or lumbar spine
- Spinal stenosis
- Worsening of degenerative disc disease
- Compression of the nerves that run through your spinal canal
Suppose you’ve suffered any of these or other types of spinal injuries or deformities in a car accident in Florida. In that case, you’ll want to contact a Florida spine specialist to learn the treatment options available, including minimally invasive surgery, to help relieve your pain and get you back to a healthy, everyday life.
Minimally Invasive Surgery Pros
When compared to traditional surgical treatment, minimally invasive surgery brings many benefits. Because the surgeon can make smaller incisions when performing minimally invasive surgery techniques, it leads to fewer potential complications and less pain. Along with that, other benefits you can experience with minimally invasive surgery include the following:
- Reduced risk of infection
- Less scarring
- Faster recovery time
- Minimal discomfort during and after surgery
- Less soft tissue damage
These are only some benefits you’ll experience with minimally invasive surgery techniques. Of course, the specific benefits you’ll experience will depend on the method.
Minimally Invasive Surgery Cons
Just like with any other type of surgery, there are potential complications and risks that you need to be aware of. Before beginning the surgery, your surgeon will consult with you about any potential hazards or complications the particular surgery you’re undergoing may bring about. They should also give you direction on what measures you should take to avoid possible risks. Some potential risks or complications include:
- Blood clots
- Pseudarthrosis (the result of failed spinal fusion attempt)
- Bleeding
- Not all surgeons have the expertise and experience to perform these procedures
- It’s more technical
Following your procedure, you’ll have to follow specific post-operative instructions your surgeon will provide you. Post-surgical treatment might involve plenty of rest for several days and some light physiotherapy. You must schedule and attend all follow-up appointments to help speed up your recovery. This way, your doctor can closely monitor your spine’s healing process.
Types of Minimally Invasive Surgeries After a Car Accident
Your spine and back are susceptible areas. Therefore, it’s not a surprise they’re often injured in car accidents. Usually, when an individual sustains a significant back injury in an auto accident, a surgical procedure is usually the best course of action. A few types of minimally invasive procedures your doctor may recommend following a car accident include:
1. Spinal Fusion
This minimally invasive procedure involves your surgeon fusing two or more of your spinal vertebra. They’ll use spinal hardware or a bone graft to connect them. Spinal fusion is often performed when a person suffers from a spinal fracture or a degenerated or herniated disc after a car accident. This procedure doesn’t just help manage pain better, but it also increases spinal stability.
2. Discectomy
A discectomy involves the surgeon removing a part of a herniated disc in your spine. A herniated disc can be extremely painful as it compresses or irritates nearby nerves. Along with the pain, the compression a herniated disc causes can lead to weakness or numbness in your arms, neck, and legs. The surgeon will make a minimally invasive incision using a small camera to care for your inherited disc without difficulty.
3. Vertebroplasty
This surgery helps stabilize your spine if you suffer a spinal fracture in a car accident. A vertebroplasty is another minimally invasive procedure where the surgeon creates a small hole in your back where they’ll inject a specially formulated bone cement. This acrylic cement fills the spaces and cracks in your bone and acts like an internal cast.
4. Kyphoplasty
This standard procedure is performed on patients with fractured spines due to a car accident. Spinal fractures can cause significant pain and lead to problems like spinal cord instability. Compression fractures can shrink your divide and pinch your sensitive nerves. A minimally invasive kyphoplasty procedure can resolve these problems. The surgeon inserts a small balloon into your vertebrae, restoring your fractured vertebra to its regular position and helping to relieve pressure. Then, the surgeon will remove the balloon and fill the cavity with cement-like polymethylmethacrylate that quickly hardens to stabilize your spine.
Contact Orthopedic & Laser Spine Surgery in Florida Today to Set Up an Appointment
Our back and neck specialists here at Orthopedic and Laser Spine Surgery in Florida have the expertise and experience to diagnose your spine or back problems following a car accident. We’ll determine the best course of treatment for your situation. In many cases, minimally invasive surgery is the best option.
You shouldn’t hesitate to seek medical attention if you’ve suffered a back, neck, or spine injury due to a car accident. Call Orthopedic Laser Spine Surgery today at (855) 853-6542 or fill out our contact form on our website to schedule an appointment.