Endoscopic spine surgery is the smallest, most precise, and safest spine surgery that exists. It offers a faster recovery than traditional procedures and far less risk. Instead of relying on temporary fixes like injections, endless rounds of physical therapy, or a big surgery, this approach gives you the best chance at lasting relief.
So, who is a candidate for endoscopic spine surgery? People living with herniated discs, sciatica, spinal stenosis, or cervical radiculopathy, along with other spine conditions that cause pain and limit daily life. At ESINY, we’ve helped thousands of people find relief. Most of our patients, before coming to us, had already tried injections, therapy, or even traditional surgery without lasting results. Others choose this option first to avoid a massive operation and take advantage of a minimally invasive solution from the start.
If you're living in pain from a spine condition and are ready to get your quality of life back, this minimally invasive spine surgery could be the game-changer you've been waiting on.
What is Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery?
Minimally invasive spine surgery involves an incision smaller than 1 cm, and a tiny camera no bigger than a pencil eraser. With the camera, your ESINY surgeon gets a clear view of your spine so they can treat the exact problem with absolute precision.
This type of surgery is so small, patients leave with nothing more than a custom ESINY band-aid.
Other stand-out aspects of minimally invasive surgery of the spine include:
- 95% of patients go home the same day, and most are up and moving with light activity right away.
- There's ten times less blood loss than traditional spine surgery.
- The infection rate is only .001%.
- Recovery is weeks faster than traditional surgery.
- Sometimes our patients don't need general anesthesia and are able to have only light sedation and local anesthesia.
Collectively, our team has treated more than 30,000 patients across their careers using this approach, including over 40 spine surgeons who trusted this procedure for themselves.
Who is a Candidate For Endoscopic Spinal Surgery?
Endoscopic spine surgery isn’t only for one type of patient. It’s often a great choice for people who want more than a quick fix and are ready to find a real solution for their pain. You might be a candidate for endoscopic spine surgery if:
You've Tried Injections And They Haven’t Worked
By the time we meet our patients, most have already tried steroid injections to calm inflamed nerves and ease their pain. For some, the relief from the injection is short-lived or doesn’t happen at all. If you’ve been through one injection or even rounds of injections without lasting results, minimally invasive spine surgery could offer a more permanent answer.
Physical Therapy Didn't Help Enough
Physical therapy is great for strengthening muscles, improving flexibility, and sometimes reducing pain, but it doesn't always resolve the underlying issue in the spine. For conditions like herniated discs, spinal stenosis, or pinched nerves, exercises alone often can’t relieve the pressure on the nerves that causes ongoing pain. Endoscopic spine surgery can potentially target the exact source of the problem.
Traditional Open Spine Surgery Didn't Bring Relief
Traditional open surgery doesn't always work. It uses large incisions and often requires cutting through muscle, which adds trauma to the body and can sometimes create scar tissue that leads to a whole new pain. Endoscopic spine surgery takes a different approach. Using a tiny camera and instruments through an incision smaller than 1 cm, your ESINY surgery can precisely target the source of the problem without disrupting nearby healthy tissues. That precision gives many patients who didn’t find relief with open surgery a real chance at lasting relief.
You Want to Avoid Traditional Surgery From the Start
You don’t need to wait until everything else fails in order to try endoscopic surgery. Some people come to ESINY before ever trying injections or open surgery because they want the option that treats the root of the problem with the smallest incision and fastest recovery.
What Does Endoscopic Surgery of the Spine Treat?
Our endoscopic spine surgery options can potentially treat a wide range of spine conditions, including:
- Back Pain / Leg Pain / Sciatica
- Cervical Radiculopathy
- Herniated Disc
- Neck Pain and Arm Pain
- Cervical Spinal Stenosis
- Degenerative Disc Disease / Spondylosis / Foraminal Stenosis
- Thoracic Disc Herniation
ESINY: The Only Endoscopic Spine Institute in America
At the Endoscopic Spine Institute of New York, our mission is simple: to transform the spine surgery experience—making it safer, smaller, faster, and more empowering for every patient.
As the only Endoscopic Spine Institute in America, our entire practice is built around this advanced, minimally invasive approach. Our internationally recognized team of neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons has decades of experience performing endoscopic spine procedures, has over 300 peer-reviewed publications, and has presented at more than 500 conferences worldwide. Our surgeons are not only leaders in the field, they’re the ones shaping the future of this minimally invasive procedure.
This post was written and reviewed by Sanjay Konakondla, MD. Sanjay Konakondla is a leading endoscopic spine surgeon and a founding partner of the Endoscopic Spine Institute of New York.
ESINY is the nation’s first and only endoscopic spine institute and is solely focused on the smallest spine surgery possible. With the world-renowned neurosurgeons at ESINY and the specialized surgery they have perfected, you can feel confident that you will have the best chance at getting back to the life you deserve with the least amount of surgery.
Call us now at 518 708 6300 or email us directly at contact@esiny.com to schedule a consultation.