title: Invasive and minimally invasive surgical techniques for back pain conditions.
abstract: Back pain is a ubiquitous problem for developed countries. It is a source of disability for society and is a financial drain through lost wages and productivity. The treatment of spine-related pain has changed over the years: minimally invasive approaches are now favored. Despite this trend, surgeons still rely on decompressions of compressed neurological structures and the fusion of painful motion segments. The history of treatments of spine-related pain as well as modern and minimally invasive techniques are reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 1367 Washington Avenue, Albany Medical Center, Albany, NY 122606, USA. lavellwf@yahoo.com
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lavelle
authors.forename: Allen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carl
authors.forename: Elizabeth Demers
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Lavelle
mesh_terms: D001416:Back Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D017586:Diskectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000601:surgery; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D012585:Sciatica / Q000601:surgery