Endoscopic Spine Surgery in Encino, CA

If you live in Encino and an MRI has shown a herniated disc or a pinched nerve, you have probably been told that surgery means a multi-inch incision, an overnight hospital stay, weeks of recovery, and a long break from work. That has not been true for years — at least not for the right candidates. Endoscopic spine surgery is the most minimally invasive surgical option for many of these problems, and Dr. Kambiz Hannani has been performing endoscopic procedures for over two decades. For an Encino patient, the realistic outcome is often this: an outpatient procedure on the Westside, home in Encino the same evening, and back to a desk job within a week.

A practical note up front: Dr. Hannani does not currently hold privileges at any San Fernando Valley hospital. For Encino patients his outpatient endoscopic work is most often performed at Advanced Surgical Center of Beverly Hills, about 25 minutes south of Encino down the 405 — closer than many of the local Valley hospital options when you factor in pre-op and post-op logistics. The initial consultation happens at the West Covina office (about 45 to 60 minutes east). It is one longer drive on consultation day, then a much shorter drive on procedure day.

The reason this matters specifically for Encino patients: endoscopic spine surgery is a sub-specialized technique that not every spine surgeon performs routinely. Many surgeons still default to microdiscectomy or open techniques because that is what they trained on. If your problem can be solved through an 8-millimeter incision instead of a 1-inch one, the difference in recovery is real — and worth the trip for a surgeon who does this work every week.

What is Endoscopic Spine Surgery?

Endoscopic spine surgery is a category of ultra-minimally invasive procedures that use a thin tube (endoscope) with a camera and light source to access the spine through a single small puncture — typically 7 to 10 millimeters wide, about the size of a pencil eraser. The surgeon watches the procedure on a high-definition monitor and uses specialized micro-instruments passed through the same tube to do the actual work.

Compared with traditional open spine surgery (which uses a 4 to 6 inch incision and dissects through layers of muscle) or even microsurgery (which uses an operating microscope and a 1 to 2 inch incision), endoscopic surgery causes dramatically less tissue damage. Less tissue damage means less pain after surgery, less blood loss, lower infection risk, and a much faster recovery.

Common Endoscopic Procedures

Not every spine procedure can be done endoscopically — but the list of what can is growing every year. The most common endoscopic procedures Dr. Hannani performs include:

• Endoscopic discectomy — removal of a herniated disc fragment compressing a nerve, in the lumbar (low back) or cervical (neck) spine

• Endoscopic foraminotomy — opening up the bony tunnel where a nerve exits the spine, relieving pinched-nerve pain

• Endoscopic laminotomy / decompression — relieving spinal canal narrowing (stenosis) without a large open laminectomy

• Endoscopic rhizotomy — targeted treatment of facet joint nerves causing chronic back pain

Endoscopic vs. Open vs. Microsurgery: A Real Comparison

A patient with a typical lumbar herniated disc has three reasonable surgical options. Here is the practical difference:

• Open discectomy — 3 to 4 inch incision, muscle dissection, often a hospital stay, 4 to 6 weeks before desk work, 8 to 12 weeks before heavy activity. Largely outdated for routine herniated discs.

• Microdiscectomy — 1 inch incision, less muscle damage, usually outpatient, 1 to 2 weeks before desk work, 4 to 6 weeks before heavy activity. The most common modern option.

• Endoscopic discectomy — 8 millimeter incision, almost no muscle damage, outpatient with same-day discharge, often back to desk work within a week, 3 to 4 weeks before heavy activity. The least invasive option.

For a single-level herniated disc in a healthy patient, the endoscopic approach gives outcomes equivalent to microdiscectomy with meaningfully faster recovery. For more complex spinal problems — multi-level stenosis, instability, prior failed surgery — open or fusion surgery may still be the right answer.

Why Encino Patients Choose Dr. Hannani for Endoscopic Spine Surgery

The San Fernando Valley has its own medical landscape — Encino Hospital, Sherman Oaks Hospital, Tarzana Medical Center, the larger UCLA system to the south. Those are real options, but endoscopic spine surgery is a fellowship-level technique that benefits from a surgeon who does it regularly rather than occasionally. Patients from Encino, Sherman Oaks, Tarzana, Studio City, Lake Balboa, Reseda, and Van Nuys come to Dr. Hannani specifically because he has been performing the full endoscopic spectrum — discectomy, foraminotomy, decompression, and rhizotomy — for over 20 years. He is board-certified, completed his orthopedic surgery training at UCLA, and finished his fellowship at St. John's in Santa Monica.

There is also a practical reason Encino patients gravitate toward outpatient endoscopic surgery at Advanced Surgical Center of Beverly Hills. The 405 corridor is the natural commute for the Valley, and the Beverly Hills outpatient center is a quiet, low-volume environment that is genuinely set up for same-day discharge — a different experience from a large urban hospital. You are home in Encino the same evening with your own bed and your own kitchen.

Where Surgery is Performed for Encino Patients

For Encino patients having endoscopic procedures with Dr. Hannani:

• Initial consultation — at the West Covina office. From most of Encino, the route is the 101 East to the 134 East to the 210 East. Plan on 45 to 60 minutes outside of rush hour. Free on-site parking, no garage circling.

• Outpatient endoscopic procedures — at Advanced Surgical Center of Beverly Hills, about 25 minutes south of Encino on the 405. Same-day discharge.

• Cases requiring inpatient observation — at Saint John's Medical Center in Santa Monica, also about 25 minutes south on the 405, where Dr. Hannani holds primary surgical privileges.

For Encino patients, the surgical day involves the shorter drive south, not the longer drive east. Family members driving you home (you cannot drive yourself after sedation) will appreciate that the trip back over the hill from the Westside is short and familiar.

A Patient Story

A 41-year-old parent from Encino Park — driving carpool every morning to her kids' school and helping run a family business along Ventura Boulevard — came in with seven weeks of severe right leg pain shooting from her low back down to the outside of her right calf. Classic L5 nerve root distribution. MRI showed a sequestered disc fragment at L4-L5 compressing the nerve. She had already failed two epidural steroid injections at a Tarzana pain clinic and was missing carpool, missing work, and not sleeping. She underwent an outpatient endoscopic discectomy at Advanced Surgical Center of Beverly Hills on a Wednesday morning, was driven home over the hill to Encino that afternoon, was off Norco within 48 hours, and was back to school drop-off the following Monday. Five days, start to finish.

Who is a Candidate for Endoscopic Spine Surgery?

The best candidates generally have:

• A clearly defined, single-level problem (one herniated disc, one pinched nerve, one stenotic level)

• Imaging that matches the symptoms — leg pain in the L5 distribution with an L4-L5 disc herniation, for example

• Failed at least 6 weeks of conservative care (physical therapy, medications, often an injection)

• No significant spinal instability or major deformity

• No history of major prior surgery at the same level (this can sometimes still be done — case-by-case)

Patients who are not endoscopic candidates are not stuck — Dr. Hannani offers the full range of spine procedures, from microdiscectomy and decompression to artificial disc replacement and fusion. The right operation is the one matched to your specific problem.

What Recovery Looks Like

For a typical endoscopic lumbar discectomy:

• Day of surgery: 30 to 60 minute procedure under sedation or light general anesthesia. Walking within an hour. Discharged home the same day — back over the 405 to Encino that afternoon.

• Days 1-3: Mild soreness around the small incision. Most patients off narcotics within 48 to 72 hours.

• Week 1-2: Most patients return to a desk job. Driving usually permitted within a week (off narcotics).

• Weeks 3-4: Light exercise, walking around Lake Balboa or the Sepulveda Basin, gradual return to normal activity.

• Weeks 6-12: Return to heavy lifting, sports, and physically demanding work.

Risks of Endoscopic Spine Surgery

No spine surgery is without risk. Endoscopic procedures share the same general risks as any spine surgery — infection, bleeding, nerve injury, dural tear (small leak of spinal fluid), and the possibility that symptoms do not fully resolve. The endoscopic technique generally has lower rates of these complications than open surgery because of the smaller working corridor and reduced tissue damage. The most common technical limitation is that some pathology turns out, intraoperatively, to need a slightly larger approach — Dr. Hannani will discuss this possibility honestly during your consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions from Encino Patients

How far is the drive from Encino to your office? The West Covina office is roughly 30 miles east of Encino. Outside of rush hour, the drive is about 45 to 60 minutes via the 101 East to the 134 East to the 210 East. The consultation happens there; surgery itself is much closer to home.

Where will my surgery be performed? For most Encino patients, outpatient endoscopic surgery is performed at Advanced Surgical Center of Beverly Hills, about 25 minutes south of Encino down the 405. For cases requiring an overnight stay, surgery is performed at Saint John's Medical Center in Santa Monica, also about 25 minutes south. Both are significantly closer to Encino than the West Covina office is. On surgery day, plan to have a family member drive you both ways — you cannot drive yourself home after sedation.

Do you have a closer office or operating location in the San Fernando Valley? No — and we want to be honest about that rather than pretend otherwise. The primary office is in West Covina, and Dr. Hannani does not currently hold surgical privileges at Encino Hospital, Sherman Oaks Hospital, or other Valley facilities. For most Encino patients, the practical flow is one longer drive east for the consultation and a much shorter drive south to the Westside for the actual procedure. Pre-op and post-op visits can often be coordinated to minimize trips.

How does endoscopic compare to the microdiscectomy I was offered at a Valley practice? Microdiscectomy is an excellent operation and the right answer for many patients. The endoscopic approach uses a smaller incision (about 8 mm vs about 1 inch) and disrupts less muscle, which usually means a faster early recovery. For a single-level herniated disc the long-term outcomes are comparable. Bring your MRI to a consultation and Dr. Hannani will tell you honestly which approach fits your anatomy best.

How do I schedule a consultation? Call our office at 626-939-5900 or visit our contact page. Bring any prior MRI imaging on disc if you have it — this lets Dr. Hannani assess whether you are an endoscopic candidate at the first visit.