Robotic Spine Surgery

The robot brings several advantages to the operating room. This includes thorough preplanning, high accuracy, and high precision whenever we do these surgeries, which means quicker surgeries, quicker recoveries, less blood loss and a smoother outcome for our patients.

Our patients generally see:

• Better cosmetic results with reduced scar tissue from small incision
• Faster recovery time for returning to daily activities
• Increased accuracy with less radiation
• Less post-operative pain and reliance on pain medications
• Lower complication rates
• Minimal blood loss from surgery and reduced need for transfusions
• Reduced risk of damage to healthy tissue or infection
• Reduced pain

One critical part of robotic surgery is all of the pre-planning. We obtain all of that knowledge and familiarity of the patient's particular problem before you walk into the operating room. The level of planning that we get out of this kind of three-dimensional, computerized robotic system is unlike traditional surgery. We are able to minimize the number of incisions and the size of them.

After the advanced 3D planning is complete, the surgeon is guided by that surgical blueprint to place the implants safely and accurately.

One of the best parts of being a spine surgeon is being able to see our patients improve. Our surgeons are here to help with quality of life. Their goal is to help people feel better, function better and get back to doing the things that they love to do.

Many people have this impression that robotic surgery is like a video game. They envision surgeons running a robot and the robot's actually doing the procedure, but that is not the case. Instead, the robot provides surgeons with an angle or a trajectory to follow. Surgeons then perform the procedure based on this information.

When patients come in, with respect to wherever they are with their symptoms, our team begins with all of their options. Oftentimes, patients are able to manage pain very effectively with conservative treatments and no need of surgery. A referral to a surgeon is not an automatic treatment of surgery. Instead, it means you are being referred to an expert in the field who can help give you the direction you need to help you manage the problem, whether it be something on the conservative side or surgical side.

Low back pain is very common in the community. It typically is self-limiting, so it goes away with ice or heat, taking over-the-counter medications, stretching, and avoiding activities that aggravate it. For persistent back pain - more than three to four weeks or even longer - or progressively worsening back pain, those are signs that somebody should get in to see a spinal specialist. Our team will explore all of your treatment options - whether that may involve surgical solutions or not.

At Baptist Health, we have access to the most technologically advanced tools. The robot is one of the cutting edge options that we have for spinal surgery, and we have the most advanced robot that's available right now. We have the technology that's been proven, that is effective, and is available to this community. Most importantly, we have experienced surgeons who are well equipped to use this technology.