MILD

What is the mild procedure?

The mild® procedure is a minimally invasive surgical option. This procedure, also known as minimally invasive lumbar decompression, treats severe back pain caused by lumbar spinal stenosis.

The mild back procedure removes excess ligament tissue to restore space in the spinal canal, relieving pressure on spinal nerves. This can help reduce pain and restore mobility.

Candidates for the mild procedure have lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), which has not responded to over-the-counter medications, physical therapy, and therapeutic injections. Characteristically, patients who are good candidates experience:

• Pain, numbness, tingling, or cramping in their lower back, legs, hips, or buttocks when standing upright or walking.
• Relief from lower back pain when they bend forward at the waist or sit down.

Can the MILD procedure help me?

The mild procedure can decrease pain and increase mobility while maintaining the spine’s structural integrity. It treats the underlying cause of the neurogenic claudication symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis.

The benefits of the mild procedure for spinal stenosis include:

• It is typically performed in less than 1 hour as an outpatient procedure.
• It normally enables patients to resume normal activities within 24 hours without restrictions.
• It requires no general anesthesia, implants, or stitches.
• It provides pain relief without the need for steroids or opioids.
• It has a low complication risk profile and success rate, as demonstrated in clinical studies.
• It provides a minimally invasive option to avoid more serious lumbar laminectomy surgery.

Recovery and Outlook

Most mild® procedure patients return home the same day and resume normal activities within 24 hours with no restrictions. Many patients notice an improvement in their ability to stand longer and walk farther within a few days. In other cases, improvements in pain relief are experienced immediately after the procedure. Some patients will have to rebuild strength after having been weakened by lumbar spinal stenosis. Achieving full benefits from the procedure may take three to twelve months post-surgery.

The side effects are similar to that of all procedures and include: bleeding, infection, scar tissue and nerve damage. After the procedure, monitor for signs of infection at the site including drainage, redness, swelling, or fever.