If you are a weekend golfer, avid skier, outdoor enthusiast, or simply a dedicated desk-job employee, you may experience back and sciatica pain (tingling, numbness or weakness that originates in the lower back and travels through the buttock and down the leg). If that pain has not responded well to conservative care, you may be a candidate for an exciting new alternative to open spine fusion surgery.
Legacy is proud to introduce Midline Image Guided Fusion Procedure – MIG-LIF for short. MIG-LIF is now available to people who suffer from degenerative disc disease, fracture, dislocation, scoliosis, kyphosis, spinal tumor, and failed previous fusion (pseudoarthrosis).
Developed by our own Dr. Scott Schlesinger, MIG-LIF uses navigation tracking and a single 15-20 mm incision to decompress the spine with an instrument to relieve this debilitating pain. In comparison, the incision size necessary is significantly smaller than traditional spinal fusions which can exceed 75 mm. Dr. Schlesinger’s keyhole access surgery allows for less tissue to be disrupted, which permits single level fusions with low co-morbidities to be performed on an outpatient basis.
What are the benefits of the MIG-LIF?
- It is often performed outpatient or with shorter hospital stays
- It allows for quicker recovery time
- Patients report reduced post-op pain
- There is lower risk of infections
- There are lower costs than traditional surgery
- Helps realign and stabilize the spine while healing occurs
Dr. Schlesinger continues to not only perform MIG-LIF Procedures here in Little Rock, but has begun teaching this innovative technique to other spine surgeons across the country.
For more information, visit our MIG-LIF page on the Legacy website.