How Long is the Average Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery?

Blog Summary:

• Spine surgery duration varies widely: laminectomies take 1–3 hours, discectomies 1–2 hours, fusions 3–6 hours, and artificial disc replacements around 2–3 hours.

• Minimally invasive spine surgery typically lasts 1–3 hours and is often performed as an outpatient procedure.

• Recovery from minimally invasive spine surgery usually ranges from a few days to a few weeks.

• Patients can expect short-term restrictions on lifting, bending, twisting, driving, and exercise after surgery.

• Most patients experience reduced pain, faster mobility, and fewer complications compared to traditional open spine surgery.

Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS or MIS for short) is one of the best advancements in spinal surgery to have emerged over the past several decades. People who are good candidates for this surgery often report reduced downtime, decreased pain, and a faster recovery period compared to other types of spine surgery.

But how long does the actual procedure take? This is a common question, along with others like “How long does spinal surgery take to fully heal?” and “Is the recovery really easier?”

Let’s cover answers to all these questions now.

How Long is Spine Surgery?

When people ask questions like “How long is the average spine surgery?” The answer truly is that it depends!

That’s because there are many types of spine surgery from laminectomies and fusions to discectomies and artificial disc replacements. There are also various approaches to those types of surgery, ranging from minimally invasive options to fusion techniques. It really depends on the patient's pathology and how much work there is to do.

Each different surgery and approach is associated with different operating times and recovery times.

For instance, laminectomies normally take 1-3 hours. Discectomies often take around 1-2 hours. Artificial disc replacements commonly take 2-3 hours. Spinal fusion usually takes longer, ranging from 3-6 hours.

Surgical approach also affects the duration of the surgery. So, with traditional open surgery, for instance, a larger incision is required, and that increases operating time. But with minimally invasive spine surgery, there are smaller incisions and advanced imaging used to target the problem area much more efficiently. This often significantly reduces time spent in surgery – and in recovery.

How Long is Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery?

Just how long a given minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) procedure is depends heavily upon which type of surgery is performed via minimally invasive methods and the patient's pathology and how much surgery needs to be performed. That being said, generally speaking, for most patients, minimally invasive procedures take between 1-3 hours on average. That’s much shorter than most open spine surgeries, which can take 4-6 hours or more on average.

Why? As we covered in our blog post about minimally invasive surgery vs open surgery, “Instead of ‘opening someone up,’ surgeons use specialized tools and imaging technology to precisely target the problem area… Less cutting, less bleeding, and a faster recovery for patients.”

In almost all cases, minimally invasive surgery is done as an outpatient procedure, meaning patients can go home from the hospital the same day as their surgery.

What Should You Expect After MISS?

Post-operative care for minimally invasive spine surgery often focuses on pain management, mobility, and healing.

Patients usually report mild to moderate soreness after MISS, but in most cases, that improves in a matter of days to about a week after the surgery is performed.

All patients can return to walking on the same day or next day. This not only is more convenient, but also helps to reduce the risk of blood clots and promote healing.

However, in most cases, after MISS, for a little while at least, you are restricted from:

• Bending and twisting for a few weeks

• Lifting heavy objects or objects over 10-15 pounds

• Driving (until after done taking narcotics, if applicable)

• Physical activity/exercise

Many patients require some physical therapy after MISS, but whether or not this is true in your case will depend on the type of surgery performed as well as your preoperative condition.

Curious to learn more about what you can or can’t do after MISS? Head to our blog post “Questions to Ask your Spine Surgeon to See if MIS Surgery is Right for You” for answers.

Final Thoughts: Is MISS Right for You?

Compared to traditional open surgery, minimally invasive surgery is not only a far less lengthy procedure, but it also requires less time spent in the hospital and less time spent recovering.

Want to see if you might be a good candidate for this type of spine surgery? Dr. Baig here at Desert Spine and Scoliosis Center can help. Contact us for your 45-minute initial patient consultation to discover the non-surgical and surgical treatment options available to you, including MISS.