Smaller incisions
Specialized retractors and tubular systems allow access through smaller openings than traditional open surgery.
Home / Minimally Invasive
When surgery is the right answer
The smallest operation that solves the problem.
Surgery is the last step in our care path — but when it is genuinely needed, delay costs you mobility. Dr. Desai is fellowship-trained in minimally invasive surgery and motion-preserving spine techniques.
What it means
Minimally invasive, in plain terms
The goal is the same as any spine operation: take pressure off nerves and stabilize what is unstable. The difference is how much of your body has to be disturbed to get there.
Less muscle disruption
Techniques are designed to move muscle aside rather than strip it away from the spine.
Precision technology
Spinal navigation and augmented reality-assisted techniques support accurate implant placement.
Recovery focused
These approaches are designed to reduce tissue trauma and support a smoother recovery. Individual results vary.
Minimally invasive techniques are not appropriate for every patient or every condition. Dr. Desai will tell you honestly if a traditional approach is the better choice for your anatomy.
Procedures
What Dr. Desai performs
Each procedure is selected for a specific problem. If one is recommended for you, you will hear exactly why.
Cervical disc replacement
Motion-preserving option for a herniated or degenerative disc in the neck in selected patients.
ACDF
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion — removing the disc pressing on a nerve or the spinal cord and stabilizing that level.
Cervical laminoplasty
Creates space for the spinal cord in the neck while preserving motion in selected patients.
Lumbar microdiscectomy
Removes the fragment of herniated disc pressing on a nerve root, typically through a small incision.
Lumbar laminectomy
Relieves pressure on nerves in spinal stenosis to help with walking tolerance.
TLIF, ALIF, and lateral fusion
Fusion approaches selected for your anatomy and the specific problem being corrected.
Revision spine surgery
Careful evaluation and treatment of symptoms after previous spine surgery.
This information is educational and is not a recommendation for any specific treatment. Appropriate options depend on your diagnosis, imaging, health history, and goals. Individual results vary.
Recovery
Back on your feet, deliberately
Most spine patients are encouraged to walk soon after surgery. Your plan will spell out activity limits, when you can drive, when you can return to work, and what therapy will look like.
- Written activity guidelines before you go home
- Walking encouraged early, as your surgeon directs
- Physical therapy timed to the procedure you had
- Scheduled follow-up to track progress
Recovery varies by procedure, general health, and the condition being treated. Individual results vary.
Wondering whether you need surgery?
A consultation is not a commitment. Many patients leave with a nonsurgical plan instead.