Minimally invasive lumbar decompression (MILD) is an outpatient procedure for treating low back pain in Lakeland, Florida, at the Novus Spine & Pain Center. This minimally invasive procedure, which does not alter the spine’s structural stability, can be beneficial for those suffering chronic pain from lumbar spinal stenosis.
MILD Procedure in Lakeland, Florida
Dr. Benito Torres performs the minimally invasive lumbar decompression (MILD) procedure in Lakeland, Florida. The procedure, similar to a lumbar laminectomy, helps restores space in the spinal canal by removing a portion of bone or part of a thickened ligament that is pressing on a nerve. It requires smaller incisions than traditional surgery and causes less trauma to surrounding tissues.
Patients who have not experienced pain relief from more conservative pain management treatments are candidates for the MILD procedure. Most patients have a faster recovery time, experience less pain than traditional surgery, and can typically resume normal daily activities quickly.
How The MILD Procedure Works
The MILD procedure decompresses the lumbar spine, increasing spinal column space and significantly reducing pressure on spinal nerves. Decompression is a surgical procedure for relieving pain caused by pinched nerves (neural impingement).
Minimally invasive lumbar decompression creates more space in the spinal canal and relieves pressure on a nerve, which can then heal. Additional benefits of the procedure are that it requires only tiny incisions in the back and does not require general anesthesia, which helps reduce recovery time.
Minimally Invasive Surgery Benefits
Minimally invasive surgical techniques utilize smaller incisions in the skin than traditional “open” surgery. The procedure also uses smaller, specialized instruments and has two primary benefits. First, it can help decrease the amount of pain a patient experiences due to pressure on a nerve in the spinal column. Second, being a minimally invasive procedure, the patient recovers more quickly than in open surgery.
Most patients report measurable improvement in pain radiating into the legs after the MILD procedure. However, the benefits may lessen over time if the patient has a particularly aggressive form of arthritis.
The MILD procedure is helpful for patients who do not obtain pain relief from conservative pain management treatments. In addition to reducing pain, the procedure can help increase patient mobility. For example, a survey of patients suffering from lumbar spinal stenosis found those receiving the MILD procedure experienced significantly more pain relief than those receiving epidural steroid injections.
Please visit our Pain Conditions page for information about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of pain conditions we frequently treat at Novus Spine & Pain Center.
About Novus Spine & Pain Center
For several years, Novus Spine & Pain Center has been recognized as the “Best of Central Florida” in Polk County’s Official Community Choice Awards from the Ledger Media Group. Dr. Torres is board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine through the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Additionally, Dr. Torres is on the faculty of the Department of Anesthesia at Moffitt Cancer Center. He also received an Academic appointment as a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of South Florida and the Department of Neurology, working directly with residents, medical students, and pain medicine fellows.
If you have a question, comment, or request, please fill out our contact form, or call us at 863-473-7849. For your convenience, you may also schedule an appointment online. There is no obligation when you contact us, and any information you provide is always strictly confidential.