Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis who experience leg pain, numbness, or difficulty standing and walking.
Educational illustration only
The MILD procedure removes small amounts of thickened ligament tissue from inside the spinal canal through a tiny incision. No general anesthesia, stitches, implants, or hospital stay are required. Clinical studies demonstrate meaningful improvement in walking distance and standing tolerance.
Lumbar spinal stenosis causing leg pain, numbness, heaviness, or difficulty standing and walking (neurogenic claudication) with ligamentum flavum hypertrophy visible on MRI.
You lie face-down with local anesthesia and light sedation. A small portal is inserted and specialized tools are used to remove thickened ligament from inside the canal under fluoroscopic guidance. The procedure takes about 30 to 45 minutes and is performed as an outpatient procedure.
Most patients return home the same day. Recovery is quick with no major activity restrictions. Walking improvement is often noticed within days to weeks. The procedure can be combined with epidural steroid injections for additional benefit.