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Biomechanical Comparison Of Traditional Laminectomy And Minimally‑Invasive Facetectomies, Karen Sedacki

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The facet joints of the lumbar spine are one of the sources of low‑back pain that affects a great portion of the population. Minimally‑invasive (MI) procedures have been becoming more popular in the surgical decompression of the spine because they offer shorter recovery time and involve removal of smaller amounts of important structures. With these features, it is believed that MI procedures lead to less clinical instability, and the functionality of the segment is maintained. Another important factor is how the facet angle in the lumbar segments affects the biomechanical instability. In spite of all this interest in MI procedures, …