What Is the Minuteman® Procedure and What Is Its Success Rate?

Traditional spinal fusion surgery prevents painful instability of spinal bones, discs, and joints. Yet, the Minuteman® procedure is a highly effective alternative.

Pain Care, LLC is Georgia’s premier pain management group with six locations to serve your needs. We favor the Minuteman procedure at Pain Care because of its minimally invasive nature and high success rate.

Here’s more from our team about the Minuteman procedure, including how it works and the details behind its favorable success rate.

Minuteman vs. traditional spinal fusion

Generally, spinal fusion restores stability and eliminates pain from disc disease, osteoarthritis, and other degenerative processes. It fuses two vertebral bodies, eliminating abnormal movement and preventing further irritation of involved nerves, ligaments, and muscles. 

Traditional open spinal fusion surgery requires large incisions and extensive tissue disruption. However, the Minuteman procedure utilizes a small, lateral incision that reduces the impact on surrounding tissues to implant a fusion device between adjacent vertebrae. The Minuteman device is secured with fixation screws and bone graft material to encourage fusion and long-term stability of the targeted segments. 

Surgeons can perform the Minuteman procedure on the thoracic, lumbar, or sacral spine using local or general anesthesia, and it offers a shorter recovery time compared to traditional spinal surgery.

Who is a candidate for the Minuteman procedure?

This procedure may be ideal for patients who:

• Have chronic lower back pain due to degenerative spine conditions
• Have mild to moderate spinal instability but wish to avoid traditional fusion surgery
• Seek a minimally invasive alternative with a faster recovery
• Do not respond adequately to conservative treatments

Our team develops treatment strategies based on your exam results, symptoms, and overall health.

We may recommend a Minuteman procedure when conservative treatments like physical therapy, pain medication, or steroid injections don’t adequately control your symptoms.

Success rates and clinical outcomes

Studies show that the Spinal Simplicity Minuteman procedure has a high success rate, providing exceptional pain relief and improved function for many people.

Some key findings include:

• Meaningful pain reduction and clinical improvement in 85% of patients evaluated
• Successful fusion in 89% of patients evaluated
• Excellent long-term spinal stability
• Zero device-related complications

Compared to traditional spinal fusion, the minimally invasive nature of Minuteman also reduces the risk of postsurgical infection and bleeding.

Other benefits include a quicker recovery and faster return to daily routines than traditional spinal fusion, which can take many weeks to months to fuse completely.

Schedule a visit at Pain Care today for outstanding pain management tailored to your needs.