You don't have to be afraid of spine surgery anymore. They get back on their feet in no time and are safe. Often, back surgery is the only way to free yourself from pain. When rehabilitation and pharmacological treatment do not help and the spine still hurts, surgery may be the salvation.

These cutting-edge surgical methods are less invasive than classic surgery - they shorten the hospital stay and convalescence time, and do not leave scars. However, it is worth realizing that no treatment heals in a miraculous way, it only eliminates or at least significantly reduces pain. After that, you need to continue the treatment and avoid whatis not good for the spine(long sitting, lifting, lack of physical activity, stress). The choice of treatment depends on the causeback pain .

Vertebroplasty - a method of treatment incl. vertebral fractures in osteoporosis

This method is used in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral fractures, hemangiomas and neoplasms. It relieves pain and strengthens the damaged spinal body. Eligibility for the procedure is based on the resultMRI(contraindication is damage to the back wall of the vertebral body). The procedure consists in filling the broken shaft with bone cement. It is performed under local anesthesia, but the patient is also given intravenous sedatives. The patient falls asleep, but without intubation, and there is contact with him.

  • How it is done: Under X-ray control, a special needle is inserted into the shaft through a 2-mm incision of the skin, through which the cement is fed. The doctor watches the cement spread inside the bone on the monitor. Some people also use a contrast agent to make sure that the back wall of the vertebral body is not damaged (risk of cement leakage into the spinal canal). During setting, the temperature of the cement rises to approx. 70 ° C, destroying the nerve endings inside the shaft (coagulation), which brings an immediate analgesic effect. 1-2 vertebrae are usually filled. Filling one up takes less than half an hour. After the treatment: You can get out of bed after 2 hours and go home the same day. For a few days, if necessary, a painkiller is taken. After a week, the stitches are removed (often they are completely removeddoes not assume) and you can go back to work
  • Possible complications: Cement leakage may occur (up to 50% of cases), but in most cases it is not dangerous and does not cause any symptoms. However, there are leaks into the spinal canal, which can cause pain, numbness in the arms and legs, sometimes paresis, and leaks into the blood vessels, which may lead to embolism. In case of disturbing symptoms, you should contact your doctor so that he can check what happened on the basis of magnetic resonance imaging and, if necessary, start treatment.
  • How much does it cost: Recently, the procedure has been performed by some public centers under the National He alth Fund. In a private clinic you have to pay 4-8 thousand. PLN.
Important

Why does the spine hurt

Most often because of the flattening of the disks (disks) separating adjacent vertebrae. The vertebrae begin to wear down, the articular cartilage becomes thinner, scratches and unevenness appear on it. Sooner or later, there is a dislocation of the nucleus pulposus (disc ejection) or a herniation of the nucleus pulposus (disc prolapse).

Balloon kyphoplasty - spine surgery to recreate the vertebrae

This innovative method has been used in the world for 10 years in spine fractures caused by osteoporosis, cancer or trauma. The indication for the procedure is a fresh fracture of the vertebral body confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. The operation is performed under the conditions of one-day surgery. It has the advantage over vertebroplast that not only strengthens the shafts, but also rebuilds their height. The patient is under general anesthesia.

  • How it is done: Through a 2-3-mm skin incision under X-ray control, special balloons are inserted into the broken vertebra on both sides using a special guide. Then they are filled with contrast fluid. Expanded balloons are designed to recreate broken walls in the best possible way. Then they are emptied and removed, and the resulting space is filled with cement, adding to the height of the shaft. The high temperature of the cement (approx. 70 ° C) destroys the nerve endings inside the shaft, which additionally has an analgesic effect. The risk of cement leakage in this case is minimal. A kind of bone shell is formed around the balloon from the compacted trabecular bone of the vertebral body, which reduces the likelihood of cement escaping to the outside. The treatment on one vertebra takes about an hour
  • After the procedure: The patient is given antibiotics with a strong painkiller (cement tears the bone apart, causing pain). After waking up, the patient can walk and leaves the hospital within 24 hours. After a week, the stitches are removed, and after a few weeks, you can go back to work. U 90percent the patients manage to eliminate the pain, in the remaining patients its intensity decreases. Cement strengthens the filled vertebrae, preventing them from breaking.
  • Possible complications: It happens that the vertebrae adjacent to the cement are fractured.
  • How much does it cost: As part of the fund, the procedure is performed by a few public centers. In a private clinic you have to pay about 18,000. PLN.

Coblation Nucleoplasty - Percutaneous Lumbar Discopathy

Developed in 1995, this method is a breakthrough in percutaneous lumbar disc surgery. It allows the disc tissue to be broken down and the pressure on the diseased nerve root is reduced with a temperature of 60-70 ° C, which is much lower than in other procedures (e.g. with a laser), reducing postoperative ailments and the risk of complications (damage to adjacent tissues, nerve irritation) . The indication for surgery is pain in the lumbar region that persists for over 6 months despite treatment. Patients with the so-called closed hernia, with minor degenerative changes, without significant narrowing of the lumen of the spinal canal. Before the procedure, I am injected intravenously with an antibiotic as well as a sedative and anesthetic. The patient is slightly asleep, the point is to be able to react to pain caused by, for example, nerve irritation. The operation itself is performed under local anesthesia.

  • How it is done: Under X-ray control, the disc is punctured and the contrast administered to ensure that the fibrous ring is not completely broken. If it turns out to be interrupted, the operation is interrupted as it may not bring the expected results.) Then, through a 1-2 mm incision, a special tube with an electrode is inserted into the center of the pulp nucleus, which creates a plasma arc (as if shining with cold light), breaking the disk particles into water and carbon dioxide particles. The electrode changes its position six times, reducing the volume of the nucleus pulposus by 1-20%. As a result, the pressure inside the disc is significantly lowered, allowing the protuberance to withdraw. The resulting material is removed by a suction device attached to the electrode. The treatment takes about 40 minutes.
  • After the procedure: a few hours after the operation, the patient can go home. During the first few days, many patients complain of severe pain with discomfort at the puncture site. It can be relieved by applying ice and taking non-steroidal painkillers. Significant improvement is seen after 1-2 weeks. Long sitting for 2 weeks should be avoided. Most people can go back to work in just a few days, but you have to wake up for a few minutes every 30-40 minutesdesks. The disc takes 4-6 weeks to heal.
  • Possible complications: They occur extremely rarely (e.g. infection of the intervertebral disc or most often a temporary sensory disturbance in the hand or leg, depending on the operated section).
  • How much does it cost: Treatment in a private clinic 5 - 7 thousand. PLN.

Slightly invasive spine surgery - Endoscopic disc removal

It is a minimally invasive surgical technique used to remove a protrusion, hernia or a prolapsed nucleus. The operation is performed under general anesthesia under X-ray control.

  • How it's done: At a distance of approx. 15 cm from the spine (on the side), the doctor makes a small incision in the skin (approx. 2 cm, during classic surgery 5-10 cm) - an endoscope is inserted through it (a device with built-in camera that transmits the image of the operating field to the monitor via optical fiber). Then he observes the inside of the spinal canal on the monitor and uses special tools to remove the disc. After the operation is completed, he puts on a suture and a dressing. The procedure takes about an hour.
  • After the procedure: The patient is given antibiotics and a painkiller. You can leave the hospital within 24 hours. After 7 days, the stitches are removed. Convalescence takes 1-3 weeks.
  • Possible complications: Exceptionally, an infection in the intervertebral space may occur.
  • How much does it cost: The treatment is reimbursed. In a private hospital, it costs 8-10 thousand. PLN.