Q. Are lasers used in spine surgery?

A. Yes. The laser is being used in spine surgery mainly to treat disc problems. A procedure called thermodiskoplasty (ther-mo-disk-oh-plas-ty) is when your surgeon uses a laser to change the shape of a disc. This procedure may be used in combination with microdiscectomy (mick-row-disk-ek-toe-mee). Although the use of lasers in spine surgery is still pretty new, it shows promise as a minimally invasive way to treat disc problems of the spine. It reduces scarring around the nerve roots and can lead to a faster recovery. Also, the hardening affect that lasers have on the disc itself may help keep your spine from becoming unstable after disc surgery.