Minimally invasive stabilization surgery aims to restore stability to the spine. Instability is commonly caused by a severely collapsed disc or discs, degenerative discs, spondylolisthesis(a disorder in which a vertebra slips forward onto the vertebra below), and more.

Fusion surgeries are similar in goal–to remove damaged disc tissue and fuse the bones together–but differ in approach, including the use of specialized hardware to reinforce stability, and the location used to gain access to the spine. A related procedure is an artificial disc replacement, in which a damaged cervical disc is replaced with a synthetic disc, and the vertebrae are not fused.