Most of us – 85 percent – will experience back pain at some point in our lives. Most will never need surgery but some experience chronic pain that is debilitating and impacts their daily lifestyle.

When non-operative care (medications, physical therapy, epidural injections) fails, many patients opt for a surgical remedy.

UConn Health is now one of the first in the region to offer chronic back pain patients an innovative procedure that is minimally disruptive and offers important benefits over traditional spinal surgery.

XLIF® (eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion) is minimally disruptive because the surgeon approaches from the side and avoids injury to the sensitive lower back muscles (one of the main sources of pain after traditional back surgery). The XLIF procedure uses patented nerve monitoring technology so the surgeon avoids major nerves in the area between the incision and spinal column.

This means a reduced incidence of nerve injury during surgery so patients are more comfortable after the procedure, require less pain medication, and return to normal activity more quickly.

Dr. Isaac Moss, orthopaedic surgeon at UConn Health, discusses back pain and the XLIF procedure during an interview on NBC Connecticut.

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