What is an interspinous spacer—Minuteman?
An interspinous spacer or indirect decompression device, is a device that is inserted into the lumbar spine, between the spinous processes. The device is used to treat spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis occurs when the passageways of the spine are narrow and compress the nerves of the spine. The spinous processes are the part of the vertebra that stick out and form small bumps in the middle of your back. The spacer is placed between the spinous processes and gently opened. By opening the space, it functions similar to a car jack. It separates the spinous processes and thereby opens up compressed passageways in the spine. This frees up the nerves of the spine from compression. This is a minimally invasive solution that is designed to deliver long-term relief from leg and back pain associated with lumbar spinal stenosis.
How is the procedure performed?
After your symptoms and imaging confirm that you are a candidate for this procedure, Dr. Esposito will perform this at a local surgery center under twilight sedation. You will be lying flat on your belly during this procedure. The procedure takes approximately 30 minutes.
Will the procedure hurt?
You may feel some soreness after the procedure. An ice pack can help relieve this, as can over the counter, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications.
How is the recovery?
The first week after the procedure you will be asked to keep the incision site clean and dry, we will check the incision at your office visit. We do recommend you avoid bending, lifting and twisting for 4 weeks. Activity should be tolerably increased over 7 days and should consist of short walks at first and a gradual return to normal daily activities. If your job is sedentary then work can be resumed in 7 days. At 4 weeks physical therapy can be ordered to help you to start using the muscles you have not used for a long time.
What are the risks and side effects?
Serious side effects and complications are rare, such as infection, bleeding, nerve injury, damage to nerve roots or the spinal cord, remodeling of adjacent anatomy, including bony structures or soft tissues during or after surgery; new or worsened back or leg pain;
These complications are minimized by stopping blood thinners, obtaining preoperative studies, using sterile technique, and fluoroscopy for procedure guidance.
