Previously, lumbar spine surgery was considered a major surgery, with high trauma and risk. With advances in medical technology, minimally invasive surgery can do more and more, and lumbar spine surgery has become minimally invasive. But how does minimally invasive surgery of the lumbar spine compare to open surgery? Is it just a smaller incision? What are the advantages of minimally invasive lumbar spine surgery? Minimally invasive surgery of the lumbar spine is often performed with the help of special surgical instruments, such as special working channels, endoscopes, microscopes, and high magnification lenses. These devices allow the surgeon to see the lumbar spine more clearly, even more clearly than in open surgery, so the surgery will be more precise, reduce the trauma to the surrounding skin, muscles, ligaments and bone joints, and do not disturb the original stability of the spine, so there are fewer post-operative complications. At the same time, with less trauma, the amount of surgical bleeding will be less, the patient will recover faster, the hospitalization time will be shortened, and the corresponding hospitalization fee and treatment fee will be reduced. Minimally invasive surgery is not the same as making small incisions. Different lumbar spine diseases require different minimally invasive surgical procedures, and there is no single minimally invasive surgery that can treat different types and degrees of lumbar spine diseases. Patients often think that minimally invasive means small incisions, which is not true, and the two cannot be simply equated. In addition to a small incision, minimally invasive surgery also requires a small injury. Some patients make small incisions, but after the surgical instruments enter the body, the muscles are still stripped according to the old method; and if the surgical instruments and incision position are not changed, simply just a small incision may lead to the doctor not being able to see inside, and the surgical operation will be more difficult, instead of aggravating the damage to the surrounding tissues and nerves. In addition, the definition of minimally invasive is relative, for example, the transforaminal approach lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) technique, which requires the use of special instruments, also requires an incision of 2 to 3 centimeters. Many patients think it is not a minimally invasive procedure when they hear about such a large incision and the need for nails. However, in comparison, MIS-TLIF surgery is a minimally invasive surgery because the incision is smaller than that of open surgery, and the damage to the surrounding muscles, bones and joints is also smaller, especially. Currently, minimally invasive surgical procedures commonly used for lumbar spine diseases include, intervertebral foramenoscopic technique (PELD), microendoscopic technique (MED), minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) technique, percutaneous pedicle nail fixation, radiofrequency ablation, and so on.