Lumbar Spine Procedures

When chronic back pain disrupts your daily activities and diminishes your quality of life, finding the right specialist becomes crucial to your recovery journey. Dr. Rojeh Melikian brings fellowship-trained expertise from prestigious institutions like Harvard and Emory to patients throughout Marina del Rey, Newport Beach, and surrounding Southern California communities. As a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in minimally invasive spine procedures, Dr. Melikian has dedicated his practice to one fundamental goal: helping patients reclaim pain-free lives through advanced surgical techniques that minimize recovery time and maximize outcomes.

What truly distinguishes Dr. Melikian's practice is his comprehensive approach to spine care. Beyond his technical surgical proficiency, he prioritizes clear communication with patients, ensuring you fully understand your condition, treatment options, and expected outcomes. This patient-centered philosophy means you're never left wondering about your care plan or feeling like just another appointment on the schedule. Dr. Melikian and his team have streamlined the surgical process from initial consultation through recovery, allowing you to focus entirely on healing rather than navigating complex medical systems. Contact us today to schedule your consultation and experience spine care that puts you first.

ALIF represents an innovative surgical approach to treating severe lumbar spine conditions by accessing the spine through the abdomen rather than the back. This technique provides Dr. Melikian with excellent visualization of the affected disc space while avoiding disruption to the back muscles, potentially reducing post-operative pain and accelerating recovery. During the procedure, the damaged disc is removed and replaced with a spacer implant filled with bone graft material, promoting vertebral fusion and long-term stability in the spine.

Endoscopic microdiscectomy exemplifies the remarkable advancement in minimally invasive spine surgery, utilizing specialized instruments and a tiny camera to address herniated discs through incisions smaller than a dime. This sophisticated technique allows Dr. Melikian to precisely target and remove only the problematic disc material while preserving surrounding healthy tissue. Patients typically experience reduced post-operative pain, minimal scarring, and significantly faster return to normal activities compared to traditional open procedures.

Extreme Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion (XLIF)

XLIF offers a sophisticated solution for patients requiring lumbar fusion by approaching the spine from the side rather than through the back or abdomen. This lateral approach enables Dr. Melikian to avoid major back muscles and sensitive nerve structures, potentially reducing surgical complications and recovery time. The procedure effectively treats various spinal conditions including degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis, and certain types of spinal deformities by removing damaged disc material and stabilizing the spine with implants and bone graft material.

Lumbar Disk Replacement

Lumbar disk replacement represents a motion-preserving alternative to fusion for select patients suffering from degenerative disc disease. Rather than fusing vertebrae together, Dr. Melikian removes the damaged disc and replaces it with an artificial implant designed to maintain normal movement between vertebrae. This advanced procedure aims to preserve spine flexibility while alleviating pain, potentially reducing the risk of adjacent segment degeneration that can sometimes occur after fusion surgery.

Lumbar Microdecompression

Lumbar microdecompression delivers targeted relief for patients suffering from spinal stenosis by precisely removing bone or soft tissue that's compressing nerve roots. Dr. Melikian performs this procedure using specialized microsurgical techniques and magnification that allow for minimal tissue disruption while effectively addressing the source of nerve compression. Patients often report immediate improvement in leg pain and neurological symptoms following surgery, with the procedure typically performed on an outpatient basis allowing for same-day return home.

Lumbar Microdiscectomy

Lumbar microdiscectomy stands as one of the most commonly performed and successful spine procedures for treating herniated discs that cause sciatica and radicular pain. Using microscopic visualization, Dr. Melikian can precisely identify and remove only the portion of the disc that's pressing on nearby nerves while preserving the majority of the disc's structure and function. This focused approach minimizes tissue damage and typically allows patients to return home the same day with significant relief from the radiating leg pain that had previously limited their activities.