It’s absolutely normal to feel scared or nervous when you have to undergo surgery. However, advancements in medical techniques and technology have made it possible for surgeons to perform even the most complex procedures in far less invasive ways. But what does that mean, and why is it a good thing?
Thomas F. Saylor, MD, brings the latest surgical techniques to Orthopaedic Care Specialists in North Palm Beach, Florida. If you need surgery, here’s what you need to know about minimally invasive approaches and six of the benefits they provide.
In the past, surgeons needed to make a large incision to access the treatment site. As you might expect from the name, a “minimally invasive” surgery does not.
Dr. Saylor doesn’t make a large incision when you have a minimally invasive procedure. Instead, he performs your surgery through one or more small incisions with a camera and specialized instruments.
Because there’s no need for a large incision, your procedure causes less internal and external trauma.
Smaller incisions and less trauma offer another advantage: less blood loss. That’s because the surgeon usually doesn’t have to cut through as much tissue or muscle to reach the surgical site when using minimally invasive methods.
Even with strict precautions and protocols in place, any surgery that creates an opening in your skin can expose you to a surgical site infection. However, these risks decrease significantly with minimally invasive procedures, because the incisions are smaller and the surgical techniques are more advanced.
It may seem advantageous to have a doctor performing surgery with a large incision. After all, the doctor can see and access the entire surgical site. However, the tiny camera and specialized instruments Dr. Saylor uses actually give him greater precision, flexibility, and control. This results in better surgical outcomes and fewer overall complications.
Because of the benefits we’ve mentioned so far, it’s also common for minimally invasive procedures to require shorter hospital stays, if any. While you still have to recover from your surgery, you can usually do it from the comfort of your own home sooner.
There are a lot of reasons to love minimally invasive procedures. However, it’s hard to beat the fact that they come with faster recovery times. They also come with less pain, which reduces your need for risky pain medications.
Dr. Saylor can use minimally invasive techniques to address a wide range of issues in the hand and wrist, elbow, and shoulder, including rotator cuff tears, tendonitis, and fractures. That means you can be pain-free and in peak condition in no time.
To learn more about the advantages of minimally invasive surgery, call 561-292-0148 or book an appointment online with Orthopaedic Care Specialists today.
