Dr. Gerlach Operating
Front Range Orthopedic’s spine team consists of 2 fellowship trained spine surgeons; Dr. Sam Smith and Dr. Matt Gerlach, experienced with cutting edge surgical and non-surgical treatment options to help you get back to a pain free lifestyle.
The eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion, or XLIF®, and MAS® TLIF procedures are minimally invasive surgical techniques that Dr. Gerlach and Dr. Smith perform to provide relief to the appropriate patients who have lived with back or leg pain through failed conservative treatments, including steroid injections, physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, and/or pain medication. About 10 million adults suffer from chronic back and leg pain each year, making it the number one cause of healthcare expenditures in the U.S. Most patients’ spine disorders are related to degenerative conditions that can result in spinal instability and intrusion into the spinal cord and surrounding nerves. This minimally invasive procedure can be performed to treat a number of clinical conditions, such as spondylolisthesis, adult degenerative scoliosis, spinal stenosis, and degenerative disc disease.
The minimally invasive XLIF® and TLIF procedures may result in:
- Less tissue disruption
- Minimal blood loss
- Faster recovery times – walking the same day of surgery and return to work within weeks.
- Reduced average length of hospital stays for patients
Minimally invasive spine surgery is certainly the way of the future in improving patient outcomes with spine surgical treatment.