Minimal Access Spine Technology (M.A.S.T.)
When spine problems develop due to injury, aging, wear and tear, or deformity, treatment options should focus on the actual source of the problem with the least amount of interruption to a patient’s life. Medication, physical therapy, bracing or lifestyle changes may successfully treat problems caused by slipped discs, slipped vertebrae or curvature of the spine. For many people, though, surgery may be the best option to treat pain or deformity.

Minimally invasive procedures made possible by Minimal Access Spinal Technologies (MAST) potentially allow surgeons to successfully treat back pain and deformity with the least amount of interruption while achieving the same surgical objectives as open surgeries. These technologies have been developed out of the advances made in the field of minimal access surgeries over the past two decades. Video cameras, x-rays, detailed anatomy imaging, computer-assisted navigation, specially designed instruments and precise diagnostic tools provide alternatives to conventional open spine surgery that may minimize patient recovery time and pain. MAST procedures mean surgeons may achieve the same results and objectives of traditional surgery with imaging systems, tiny cameras and skin incisions no longer than thumbnails.


Muscle is left intact and only separated, or “split,” along natural divisions to reach the affected area. Special live-action x-ray machines guide surgeons to exact locations on the spine. MAST products provide surgeons the ability to work precisely in smaller surgical fields with significantly less tissue trauma. The potential patient benefits of MAST procedures can offer patients physical, psychological, emotional and aesthetic advantages that make surgery less daunting.