The Right Solution for Your Spine (and Well-Being):
5 Approaches to Spine Surgery

Your spine is your foundation. It supports movement, protects your spinal cord, and connects nearly every part of your body. When something goes wrong – whether due to injury, degeneration, or structural changes – it can affect your ability to work, move, and live comfortably.

Why Personalized Spine Care Matters

The right treatment for your spine is as unique as you are. Depending on your condition and your goals – whether that’s returning to work, staying active, or simply living pain-free – your care may involve non-surgical therapies, minimally invasive techniques, or advanced surgical procedures. Choosing the right approach can make all the difference in your recovery, comfort, and long-term health.

At Atlantic Brain and Spine (ABS), our skilled neurosurgeons combine cutting-edge techniques with compassionate care to help you understand your options and make confident decisions. We guide you through the process of choosing the right approach for your spinal health.

Thanks to continued advancements in spine care, patients now have access to a wide range of surgical and non-surgical treatments, varying in technique, recovery time, and outcomes. Understanding how each one works can help you and your care team decide what’s best for your spine.

1. Complex Spine Surgery

Complex spine surgery addresses serious spinal disorders often involving multiple levels of the spine or significant anatomical challenges. These cases may include severe deformities, tumors, prior failed surgeries, or traumatic injuries, and require advanced planning and precise execution.

This approach can encompass different procedures, including decompression, fusion, device implantation, and major reconstruction. Complex surgery may require multiple points of access to your spine, including larger incisions, although surgeons may be able to incorporate more minimally invasive techniques.

You’ll work with a multidisciplinary team of spinal experts involving neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, pain specialists, and physical therapists to prepare for and recover from complex spine surgery.

Benefits:
Complex spine surgery allows your surgical team to correct major structural problems, realign your spine, and restore lost function. It can relieve chronic pain, stabilize your spine, and improve neurological outcomes.

Drawbacks:
As implied by the name, these procedures are complex, involving longer surgery times, greater risk of complications, and a more challenging recovery process.

Best suited for:
Patients with advanced spinal conditions that may require a variety of surgical techniques to achieve the desired outcome.

2. Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) offers a modern alternative to traditional open procedures. These techniques reduce trauma to your muscles and soft tissues, allowing you to recover faster with less pain. Many MISS procedures are outpatient, allowing you to go home on the same day.

Using precise tools and techniques, surgeons access your spine through small incisions near the site of the defect. MISS procedures can treat conditions like degenerative disc disease, scoliosis, and tumors.

Whenever possible, ABS neurosurgeons prefer a minimally invasive approach to spine surgery because it can be a highly effective, less disruptive solution for many back issues.

Benefits:
The key advantage of MISS is reduced surgical trauma to your body. This includes minimal blood loss, reduced pain, shorter recovery and rehabilitation times, and improved cosmetic results.

Drawbacks:
MISS incisions may not provide surgeons enough access or visibility for very complex conditions. It requires specialized training and technology to be performed safely and effectively, and it may not be available everywhere.

Best suited for:
Patients with localized spine problems, especially those who are hoping to return to their lives with minimal downtime.

3. Motion-Preserving Spine Surgery

Motion-preserving spine surgery is designed to maintain the natural mobility of your spine while supporting movement and long-term spine health. Unlike traditional fusion procedures, which permanently immobilize sections of your spine, this approach uses techniques that prioritize function and allow you to stay active.

These methods embrace innovative, motion-preserving techniques like artificial disc replacement, dynamic stabilization, and facet replacement. These procedures often allow for shorter hospital stays and less intensive rehabilitation, depending on the method used.

Benefits:
Motion-preserving spine surgery helps maintain natural movement while reducing postoperative pain, supporting faster recovery, and potentially lowering the risk of future surgeries. In addition to preserving mobility, motion preserving spine surgery also helps prevent future adjacent segment degenerative disease from developing, which protects your spine for the future.

Drawbacks:
Severe spine conditions requiring extensive stabilization or correction are not suited for this approach.

Best suited for:
Patients who want to retain their spine’s range of motion. Your surgeon will consider factors like your underlying spinal condition, age, activity level, and overall health status to assess whether motion-preserving spine surgery is the best course of treatment.

4. Robotic Spine Surgery

Robotic spine surgery uses cutting-edge technology to bring a new level of precision and consistency to spinal procedures. It is much less intensive than traditional open spinal surgery and offers surgeons even better anatomical access than MISS techniques.

Using an advanced robotic navigation platform and continuous imaging, surgeons can operate with sub-millimeter accuracy – improving your safety and outcomes for both minimally invasive and complex surgeries. Surgeons remain in full control while robotic systems enhance precision and visualization, allowing for greater consistency and confidence during delicate procedures.

Robotic assistance can be used to perform a wide variety of procedures, from fusions and disc replacements to tumor resection and decompressions. It can be especially valuable when surgeons are working near delicate nerves or in situations where precise mapping is required.

Benefits:
There are many benefits to robotic spine surgery, including greater accuracy for implant placement, less postoperative pain, and faster recovery times. It also lowers the risk of future complications, improving long-term outcomes.

Drawbacks:
Robotic systems require highly trained surgeons and specialized equipment that might not be available at every facility. Not every condition requires the level of precision provided by robotic assistance.

Best suited for:
Patients with complex conditions like degenerated discs, scoliosis, or spinal stenosis, or those needing surgical revisions. It can also be used when patients have complications that rule out other surgical approaches or where accuracy is especially critical.

5. Non-Surgical Approaches

Not every back or neck issue needs surgery – and in many cases, non-surgical treatments can provide you meaningful relief. At ABS, our multidisciplinary care team always begins with the least invasive methods before recommending surgical intervention.

Non-surgical spine care can include physical therapy, targeted injections, medications, and lifestyle modifications. These can help reduce your pain, improve mobility, and manage symptoms over time – without having to undergo surgery and recovery.

As part of our philosophy of comprehensive spinal health, ABS uses these methods as a complement to surgery, helping patients strengthen their bodies and maintain spine health before or after a procedure.

Benefits:
The primary advantage of conservative care is that it can offer symptom relief without the risks and recovery associated with surgery. These can help patients with mild conditions maintain or improve their quality of life before more intensive intervention becomes necessary.

Drawbacks:
This approach may not fully or permanently resolve certain issues, such as significant nerve compression or spinal instability.

Best suited for:
Patients with mild or early-stage spinal problems or those who are not yet candidates for surgery.

Finding the Right Approach for You

The best spine treatment isn’t just about the newest technology or the most advanced methods – it’s about what’s right for you. At ABS, our multidisciplinary approach is always personalized to your diagnosis, lifestyle, goals, and preferences.

Whether your priority is mobility, pain relief, returning to daily activities, or staying active, our experienced team will help you explore all of your options with clarity and compassion. Our talented surgeons work with you – not just on you – to build a treatment plan tailored to your needs.

The Value of a Comprehensive Team

Having access to a broad array of spine surgical techniques and non-surgical approaches can help you feel more confident in your treatment plan. At ABS, our surgeons are nationally recognized experts in the full spectrum of spine care, so you know you’re always getting the best option for you.

• Dr. Kimberly B. Ashayeri: Specialist in spine tumors, complex and minimally invasive spine surgery, motion-preserving techniques, and robotic-assisted procedures.
• Jonathan J. Baskin: Specialist in minimally invasive and motion-preserving spine surgery.
• Dr. Kyle T. Chapple: Specialist in complex and minimally invasive spine surgery.
• Fabio A. Frisoli: Specialist in spine tumors and minimally invasive spine surgery.
• Stephen A. Johnson: Specialist in spine tumors and minimally invasive spine surgery.

You’ll get the treatment you need without being limited by what’s available. By working together across specialties, our multidisciplinary spine team delivers precise, thoughtful, and fully customized care to help you heal faster and regain your quality of life.

Your spine supports everything you do, and we’re here to support your care. Whether you’re just starting to explore your options or looking for a second opinion, we’re here to help. Schedule a consultation with an ABS specialist today and discover the approach that’s right for you and your spine.