What are the significant differences between traditional and minimally invasive spine surgery?

Open spine surgery is still the default choice for most cases of spinal disorders. However, there are some circumstances where minimally invasive spine procedures offer several advantages over traditional open techniques. Minimally invasive spine surgery is now considered the gold standard for treating herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, stenosis, scoliosis, and other common spine conditions.

The main difference between minimally invasive and traditional open spine surgery is its performance. Traditional open spine surgery involves making large incisions along the length of the spine. During this procedure, surgeons must cut through muscle, bone, ligaments, blood vessels, nerves, and organs. In addition, they often use retractors to hold the tissues out of the way while working inside the body. These incisions can cause significant scarring and prolonged healing periods.

Minimally invasive spine surgery, however, uses small incisions and less tissue trauma. First, surgeons work around the spine through tiny incisions, usually no larger than one inch. Then, they insert surgical instruments through those openings rather than cutting into the patient’s skin. This technique prevents extensive tissue damage.

There are many benefits of minimally invasive spine surgery over traditional open spine surgery.

Less Pain

Traditional open spine surgery requires patients to lie completely flat during the entire procedure. They lie flat, which causes extreme discomfort because the muscles surrounding the spine contract and pull against the bones. Patients report feeling intense pressure and pain throughout the entire process.

Minimally invasive spine surgery does not require patients to lie flat during the procedure. Instead, they remain seated upright. This upright position helps reduce the amount of pain caused by the contraction of the muscles.

Property owners often hear about property management companies and wonder what they are, in so much as how they benefit a property owner. There are many misconceptions regarding how property managers work and their responsibilities, as well as what sort of properties property management companies can be hired to maintain.

Let’s go over the ins and outs of property management and find out if it’s a service you can benefit from.

What is Property Management? 

Property management means hiring a third party as a property manager to oversee the daily responsibilities of residential, commercial, or industrial properties. Generally, the property manager will ensure the day-to-day repairs, maintenance, and upkeep are taken care of and is usually tasked with caring for investment properties.

What are the Property Manager’s Responsibilities?

The essence of property management is being delegated work that the owner or developer has no time to handle. These responsibilities can range from handling tenants to ensuring the property is properly maintained, specifically, a property manager’s job can include:

• Screening potential tenants
• Signing, drafting and renewing leases 
• Collecting rent from tenants
• Arranging for repairs for the property
• Creating and adhering to property maintenance budgets
• Preparing vacant units
• Advertising the rental property
• Handling lease agreements with tenants
• Rent adjustments
• Supervising property employees
• Handling evictions and move-out processes
• Handling tax for the property
• Ensuring property compliance with the law
• Property record keeping

While this list isn’t exhaustive, it gives a good and rounded impression of what type of responsibilities you can expect property managers to take on. 

Types of Property Management

There are four types of properties that property managers are likely to work and care for:

Residential Real Estate Property

Residential properties can fall to a property management firm usually when it’s a rental space and can include:

• Single-family homes
• Multi-family homes
• Townhouses
• Apartment buildings
• Manufactured homes
• REO properties
• Vacation rentals

Commercial Property

Commercial property is commonly associated with property management companies and can include a wide range of spaces, including:

• Co-working spaces rented by the day or hour, commonly used by freelancers and contractors
• Office properties, such as doctor’s offices or large buildings with multiple offices and levels
• Retail properties, such as malls, restaurants, gas stations, and big-box stores
• Accommodation properties, such as hotels, motels, and resorts. 

Industrial Properties

An industrial property often has more responsibilities for the property managers than the other categories due to the nature of the work performed in these spaces, such as bidding for vendors and compliance with industry codes. Some of the types of properties that fall under property management companies’ purview include:

• Distribution facilities
• Warehouses
• Food packaging plants
• Automative plants
• Steel mills

Special-Use Properties

Special use, or special purpose property, means a property that is designed for a specific use and often translates to property managers needing specific skills to successfully manage them. A special-purpose property includes:

• Schools
• Colleges and universities
• Places of worship
• Resorts
• Sports arenas
• Theaters
• Senior care centers and facilities

Benefits of Having Property Management 

No matter the type of real estate property you own, there are a host of benefits to hiring a property management company, including:

Screening out problem tenants: likely the biggest headache for any real estate owner. Due to a property manager’s experience, they have the insight to see red flags and spot good qualities in a potential tenant, making the screening process more efficient and having better quality tenants long-term.

Decreasing turnover: piggybacking off the first advantage, lower turnover means stable property income and happy tenants. 
Avoiding legal issues: an experience property manager knows the housing and landlord-tenant laws: being able to navigate them while having good relationships with lawyers who specialize in these types of disputes. Some companies will also take care of fees associated with evictions or property damage issues.

Saving money on maintenance and repair: Like being connected with lawyers, an experienced real estate property manager usually works with a maintenance company that due to their professional relationship can benefit from discounted work without losing on quality. They can also stay ahead of repairs by having the time for regular inspections, reducing emergency repair costs.

Property Management For You

Now that you understand what property management is and the common responsibilities they have, along with what type of real estate they handle; do you think you’d benefit from hiring such a company? 

Here at Goodale & Barbieri, we do just this. As one of the largest developers, property managers, and a leading real estate firm, we understand what to look for with tenants and the nuances of managing a property. Since 1937 we’ve handled properties of all sorts and currently over 4 million square feet of commercial property. Discover more about working with experienced experts by following the link below.

To learn more information about this topic, please check out Property Management