New Minimally Invasive Procedures Are Leaving People Pain-Free

by Annette Pinder

Remember when back surgery was considered the last possible resort, despite excruciating pain due to spinal conditions? Now new minimally invasive technologies and procedures are changing that.

“The most common symptoms for which people consult a physician are back and neck pain and leg and arm pain,” says local neurosurgeon, John Pollina, M.D. Dr. Pollina frequently sees people with herniated disks or spinal stenosis.

Having a herniated disk means there is a problem with one of the cushion-like disks between the vertebrae that make up the spine. Spinal disks are like a jelly donuts, with a softer center encased within a tougher exterior. When some of the softer “jelly” pushes out through a crack in the tougher exterior, it irritates nearby nerves often causing pain, numbness or weakness in an arm or leg. A herniated disk appears most often in people ages 50 and younger.

Spinal stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal that causes a restriction to the spinal canal. Symptoms include pain, numbness, a tingling sensation, and loss of motor control, and occur most frequently in people who are 50 and older.

“Nerve pain can be excruciating,” says Dr. Pollina, and “often medications and other interventions fail to provide significant relief.” However, new minimally invasive procedures are changing that. Today image guided surgery makes it possible for physicians to have a clear and accurate view of what the spine looks in real time during a procedure. “By using a computer generated image, we can see what the spine looks like and what we are doing to it in real time. We can perform surgery with unbelievable accuracy and safety. We can make smaller incisions and perform surgery that doesn’t disrupt the normal structures of the spine,” explains Pollina. These procedures, performed at both Buffalo General Medical Center and Gates Vascular Institute, are resulting in much better success, shorter recovery times, and less complications.

Often when people experience nerve pain in their extremities they don’t make the connection that it is due to a spinal condition. They may tell their primary care physician they are having a problem with their arm or leg. “That’s where education becomes important,” says Dr. Pollina. “We need to educate primary care physicians and we also need people to advocate for themselves. Sometimes pain in the arm or leg may be due to a spinal condition.”

What Dr. Pollina is most excited about is working at UB Neurosurgery, where he is developing a unique cutting-edge comprehensive spine team that treats anything from herniated disks, spinal stenosis, scoliosis, degenerative disk disease and tumors. Dr. Pollina and his team are proud to serve the community, conduct ongoing research, and teach cutting-edge techniques to other physicians locally and nationally.

WNY Resource:
John Pollina Jr., M.D. is Director of Spine Surgery at UB Neurosurgery, and Co-Director of the Advanced Orthopedic and Spine Center at Kaleida Health. He works with Vassilios G. Dimopoulos, M.D., who leads the UBNS minimally invasive spine program and will soon be joined by John G. Fahrbach, M.D. To make an appointment, call 218-1000. Learn more at www.ubns.com.