Latest minimally invasive spine surgery technique available in central Alabama

JASPER, Ala. ( WIAT ) – A surgical procedure that’s seen success around the country can now be done in central Alabama.

Dr. Mark Prevost II with the Alabama Back Institute in Walker County will be the third doctor in the state to offer minimally invasive spine operations. Traditionally spine surgery has to be done with big open incisions but some patients will now have the opportunity to have some decompression surgeries done with only an 8-millimeter cut.

Prevost says when he started in Jasper two years ago, no one else in Alabama could perform the surgery. He says in the last few months, two additional doctors in Birmingham have begun offering it.

Dr. Prevost says minimally invasive surgeries like these spare the soft tissue around the spine because surgeons can insert a small camera to see inside without having to cut into muscles or ligaments. Not all spine surgery cases will be a candidate for endoscopic surgery but for those that are, Prevost says the patients will be able to go home just an hour or two after the operation.

“Typically, you know, even after an open decompression, there’s a lot of pain for the first 2-4-6 weeks, even chronic pain just from stripping all the muscles,” Dr. Prevost II said. “When I was training in Texas, you know, these patients woke up and didn’t even know they had surgery and their leg pain was gone.”

Prevost II, a Jasper native, works with his brother, Dr. Matthew Prevost, and his dad, Dr. Mark Prevost, at his dad’s practice. Prevost II says it’s an honor to be able to bring the latest surgical techniques to his hometown.

More information about the minimally invasive procedures and the Alabama Back Institute can be found HERE .

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