Spine Clinic

Services available: Herniated Nucleus Pulposus (HNP) and Spinal Stenosis Treatment, Scoliosis Treatment – treatment for the curvature of the spine, fracture and bone reconstruction, spinal bone tumor treatment, and MIS – minimally invasive surgery

• Total disc replacement
• Fusion
• Instrumentation
• Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty

Chronic back pain

Many people suffer from the chronic pain resulted from Sciatica which usually occurs when a person is 20 years old or more.

Sciatica occurs because the outer membrane which surrounds the spinal disc is loose, herniated or ruptured. A herniated or ruptured disc presses on the sciatic nerve, the large nerve that extends down the spinal column to its exit point in the pelvis and carries nerve fibers to the leg. This compression causes pain along the legs and numbness of the foot

The symptoms can be:

1. Burning low back pain down through the leg
2. Numbness from the waist down through the leg and back of the foot
3. Weakness of the leg muscle
4. Abnormality in the control of urine or feces excretion

Causes

1. The disc can be damages from the accident or when people move their body in the wrong way, for example when they lift heavy things, lift things up wrongly, exercise wrongly or over exercise.
2. Aging process, sedentary life style with too little exercise or the over use of the spinal cord can cause the deterioration of the discs until they harm the nerve.

Treatment Options

Treatment without surgery

This is suitable for the patients with not very serious symptoms. The treatments can include:

• Taking the pain reliever medication
• Physical therapy
• Selective nerve root block

Treatment with surgery

1. Microdisectomy: This uses the microscope to aid the surgery. The cut is only 3-5 centimeter. The microscope is outside of the patient body. The special equipment is inserted to detach the muscle from the spine for certain length. Certain part of the bone is removed so that the surgeon can reach the position of the nerve damage.
2. Full Endoscopic Spinal Surgery: The surgery is done with the aid of the endoscope (Full Endoscopic Lumbar Disectomy). The technique is developed in such a way that the muscle is opened to insert the endoscope with the diameter of 8 millimeters. The lens is attached to the end of the endoscope. After the endoscope reaches the damage area, the surgery equipment is inserted through the endoscope and corrects the disc. In this procedure, the muscle tissue needs not to be detached from the spine and the bone is not cut.

The advantages of this treatment are:

• The lens provides large and thorough picture of the area to be operated.
• Water can be supplied through the equipment and helps wash the debris away from the operated area. This makes the clear vision of the area throughout the operation.
• There is less damage for the muscle and nearby organs because the muscle needs not to be removed from the spine

Things that the patient will get from the Full Endoscopic Spinal Surgery

• High efficiency treatment of the abnormal condition
• Small operation wound (0.8 centimeters) and less muscle damage
• Less pain after the surgery, short recovery time and less time to stay in the hospital
• The patient can go back to normal life faster.