| Over 80% of Americans will experience back pain | | | | "Minimally invasive surgery is a developing new |
| sometime during their lives. The vast majority | | | | field, which is being performed by a limited |
| experience acute pain and will get better, without | | | | number of spine surgeons for a very limited |
| treatment or with conservative therapies, within | | | | number of procedures. Like "building a ship in a |
| four to six weeks. About 5 percent experience | | | | bottle," there is a steep learning curve for |
| chronic pain lasting longer than three months, | | | | surgeons learning to do these procedures. |
| according to the Mayo Foundation for Medical | | | | Although the recovery is often faster, the |
| Education and Research. | | | | complication rate during surgery can be greater |
| Ordinarily, spine surgery will not be considered | | | | and the results not as predictable when the |
| unless conservative non-surgical measures have | | | | surgery is performed by surgeons who have not |
| failed, and even then, "open" spine surgery is not | | | | become totally skilled at these newer techniques," |
| often recommended. While most published | | | | wrote Thomas Lowe, M.D., former Clinical |
| statistics claim a success rate of approximately | | | | Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at |
| 80% for "open" spine surgery, physician practice | | | | the University of Colorado. |
| reports that the actual success rate for open | | | | A pioneer who developed and perfected this type |
| spine surgery is closer to 50%. "Open" spine | | | | of surgery is Alfred O. Bonati, M.D. In 1993, he |
| surgery utilizes a large incision and often detaches | | | | patented his arthroscopic method which utilizes a |
| spine muscles to visualize the spine, thus causing | | | | laser for removing protruding tissue and bone that |
| considerable trauma to the patient. | | | | press against spinal nerves and has been treating |
| "Over 10 years ago, if you had spine surgery, you | | | | patients on an outpatient basis ever since. Dr. |
| could expect it to take as much as one year | | | | Bonati also developed and patented specially |
| before you would be able to return to normal | | | | designed instruments for use with his patented |
| activities. Minimally invasive techniques, however, | | | | arthroscopic method and has performed over |
| are changing the face of spine surgery," the | | | | 20,000 successful minimally invasive spine |
| Cleveland Clinic reports. | | | | procedures known as The Bonati Procedures(sm). |