Traditional open spine surgery often requires a long incision to allow the surgeon to visualize and access the spine. Recent advances in technology have allowed more neck and back conditions to be treated in a minimally invasive fashion. Potential benefit of minimally invasive surgery is less damage to the muscles surrounding the spine. In turn, this can lead to less pain after surgery and a quicker recovery. However, the patient needs to keep in mind that minimally invasive surgery is not a single technique but rather a way in which the surgeon approaches the spine to treat the disease with minimal collateral damage to surrounding tissues. In addition, if minimally invasive surgery fails to achieve the intended goals of decompressing, or providing room for, the pinched nerve and stabilizing the spine with a solid bony fusion, the patient may not benefit fully from the procedure and may even require additional surgery to fix the problem. Dr. Cho utilizes the latest, state-of-art surgical techniques and often utilizes minimally invasive techniques to treat his patients.
