Laser Spine Surgery: Trick or Treat?
Contrary to popular belief, laser spine surgery is not better than currently accepted surgical techniques when it comes to treating common conditions affecting your spine.
Lasers have been used in medicine since the 1960’s and have proven to be very effective in treating many conditions – for example, LASIK surgery to correct common vision problems or treating certain skin conditions. But due to insufficient evidence, lasers in spine surgery are not endorsed by most large health authorities like the Mayo Clinic and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Lasers are more often used as a marketing tool by some clinics that promote “laser spine surgery” as being minimally invasive or noninvasive and risk-free.
There are no well-controlled clinical studies documenting the benefits of laser spine surgery. In fact, in one study comparing percutaneous lumbar laser discectomy (PLLD) with more traditional forms of discectomy (surgical removal of the whole or a part of an intervertebral disc), the results of PLLD were inferior.
The most accepted method to remove a herniated disc in the lumbar spine is to make a small incision, open the spinal canal (a laminotomy), visualize and protect the compressed nerve root and remove the herniated disc material with small mechanical instruments. Lasers are also ineffective in treating spinal stenosis because lasers cannot cut bone to open the spinal canal or remove bone spurs compressing the nerves.
The key to success in any spinal surgical procedure is an accurate diagnosis and the application of clinically proven procedures performed by qualified, experienced, board certified surgeons.