Physical activity and exercise have many benefits, including prevention against heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and back pain. Although the benefits of exercise may be great, those participating in sports to get their exercise risk injury to the spine and lower back.
According to a study published in the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics of North America Journal, approximately 8.7 percent of all new cases of spinal cord injuries that occur in the US are related to sports, and up to 20 percent of all injuries that occur in sports involve the lower back or neck.
Once spinal damage occurs, depending on the severity of the injury, minimally invasive spine surgery may be a viable option. Developed in the 1980’s to treat spinal disorders with less disruption and damage to the musculature of the back, minimally invasive spine surgery has seen rapid advances in the past several years and offers a much different experience than traditional open-back surgery.
The benefits of minimally invasive surgery include:
- Smaller and fewer incisions
- Reduced blood loss
- Less pain
- Less soft tissue damage
- Reduced muscle retraction
- Reduced hospital stay and shorter recovery periods than traditional surgery. Reduced use of postoperative medication
- The option of performing on outpatient basis.