Inspan

For those who suffer from chronic lower back pain and degenerative conditions like spondylosis, facet joint pain, and degenerative disc disease, every day is challenging. Fortunately, there’s Inspan, an advanced, minimally invasive spinal stabilization system designed to provide support, alignment, and pain relief for patients with lumbar spine instability.

If you’re seeking an alternative to traditional fusion surgery with faster recovery and less disruption to surrounding tissues, Inspan may be the solution you’ve been looking for.

What is Inspan?

Inspan is a minimally invasive spinal implant procedure used to stabilize the spine. It is designed to treat conditions like chronic back pain, lumbar instability, facet joint pain or arthritis, and degenerative disc disease. This advanced procedure works by stabilizing the spine using a small implant inserted through a single, small incision. Performed as an outpatient procedure, Inspan offers a less invasive option compared to traditional spinal fusion surgeries.

The Benefits of Inspan

Compared to more invasive procedures, Inspan offers a streamlined approach that reduces tissue damage, preserves spinal mobility, and speeds up recovery. It’s an ideal solution for patients seeking long-term relief without the risks and downtime often associated with conventional spine surgery.

Built-in compression and stabilization: Inspan’s integrated compression feature provides immediate stabilization between vertebrae.
Faster recovery: Many patients resume daily activities much sooner than with traditional fusion.
Less tissue trauma: The Inspan system typically uses a small incision, helping to minimize blood loss, reduce postoperative pain, and support faster recovery.
Versatility: Inspan is more adaptable for a range of lumbar spinal conditions, including facet disease and grade I spondylolisthesis, making it a more effective solution.
Outpatient visit: This procedure is typically done in the outpatient setting.
Potentially avoids the need for fusion: Helps some patients delay or altogether avoid traditional spinal fusion.

With faster healing, improved mobility, and long-lasting pain relief, Inspan offers a modern alternative to spinal fusion. This helps patients return to their daily lives with less downtime and discomfort.

Conditions Commonly Treated with Inspan

Inspan is recommended to treat several spinal conditions. Most commonly, these include:

Lumbar Spinal Instability (Mild Cases)
Facet Joint Pain or Arthropathy
Lumbar Spondylosis
Degenerative Disc Disease (Mild to Moderate Cases)
Spondylolisthesis (Grade 1)
Post-Laminectomy Syndrome or Failed Back Surgery Syndrome with instability

What to Expect During an Inspan Procedure

The Inspan procedure is performed under local anesthesia and light sedation, as an outpatient procedure. The procedure begins with the physician making a small incision in the lower back and carefully navigating through muscle tissue to access the affected spinal segment.

Using fluoroscopic (X-ray) guidance, a specialized interspinous process fixation device is placed between the targeted vertebrae. The device is secured with screws or locking arms which provides stability without requiring extensive bone removal or spinal fusion.

Once the Inspan implant device is in place, it helps reinforce the spine by limiting movement at the painful segment while preserving natural motion. The incision is then closed, and the patient is monitored before being discharged the same day.

Inspan Recovery Timeline

Patients are monitored briefly following the Inspan procedure, before being discharged the same day. Since the procedure is minimally invasive, post-operative pain and discomfort are typically mild to moderate and can be managed with over-the-counter or prescribed pain medication.

Some patients may experience temporary soreness, stiffness, or mild swelling at the incision site, but these symptoms usually subside within a few days. To help circumvent this, walking is encouraged soon after the procedure to promote circulation and reduce stiffness.

In general, most patients can return to light activities within a few days to a week and full recovery is typically obtained by four weeks. However, your care team will provide a customized rehabilitation plan that may include light activity and physical therapy to support healing and restore function.

Who is a Candidate for Inspan?

Not everyone is a good candidate for Inspan. Those with severe spinal deformities, high grade spondylolisthesis, advanced disc collapse, or severe instability across multiple levels, for example, may require more extensive surgical intervention.

The primary qualifiers that make someone a good candidate for Inspan include:

Chronic lower back pain due to mild instability
Diagnosed with lumbar degenerative conditions
Mild spondylolisthesis
Post-decompression instability
Failed conservative treatments
Seeking a minimally invasive solution
No severe spinal deformities or fractures

A spine specialist from Desert Spine and Sports Physicians will assess medical history, imaging results, and symptom severity to determine whether Inspan is the right approach for stabilizing the spine while maintaining flexibility.

Don’t Wait to Get the Spinal Support You Need

If lumbar spine instability has impacted your quality of life, know that innovative non-surgical treatment is available. To learn how Inspan can help you, we invite you to request an appointment at one of our six convenient locations today.

The board-certified physicians at Desert Spine and Sports Physicians are experts in reducing pain and restoring mobility for a variety of spine, sports, and musculoskeletal diagnoses. We look forward to helping you get back to living life on your terms, without pain.

Phoenix Office

3700 N 24th Street, Ste 210.

Phoenix, AZ 85016

Mesa Office

6634 E. Baseline Rd., Suite 101

Mesa, AZ 85206

Scottsdale Office

8670 E Shea Blvd Suite 102

Scottsdale, AZ 85260

Gilbert Office

3615 S Rome St.

Gilbert, AZ 85297