Back pain and lumbar degeneration! Minimally invasive surgery with small wounds and quick recovery

"Oh! My waist!" The doctor pointed out that lumbar degeneration is not exclusive to the elderly. There is a trend of younger people in Taiwan. Especially office workers who sit for long periods of time and have poor posture, or young people who use 3C heavily, may already experience back pain at a young age. Little do they know that this is a warning sign of lumbar degeneration!

Gao Dingxian, director of the Department of Neurosurgery at Taichung Lin-hsin Hospital, pointed out that the spine is commonly known as the keel. When degeneration occurs in the lumbar spine, the effects include: spondylolisthesis, long bone spurs (excessive bone growth), intervertebral disc herniation, etc. It can cause throbbing pain, numbness in the lower limbs, and even the inability to walk, affecting work and quality of life.

Poor posture leads to an increase in the number of young people with lumbar degeneration

Generally speaking, "it is not long to stand, not long to sit, and not able to walk far" is a common phenomenon among people with lumbar degeneration; observations have found that in the past, the lumbar spine was premature Those who suffer from degeneration are mostly labor workers or the elderly, but now, many are young people with poor posture and long-term excessive pressure on the lumbar spine, which causes the intervertebral cartilage to gradually atrophy, flatten, and degenerate.

Basically, muscle training and waist flexibility exercises can prevent lumbar spine degeneration. It is recommended that when walking, the chest should be raised and the abdomen should be narrowed; when sitting at work or playing computer, you should try to pull the chair as close to the desktop as possible, so that the computer screen is closer to you to avoid leaning too forward and increasing the burden on the spine; at the same time, bending and lifting should be reduced. Heavy reps.

The advantages of new minimally invasive surgery are multiple small wounds and fast recovery

Dr. Gao Dingxian emphasized that when conservative treatment of lumbar degeneration fails, surgical treatment is more effective. treatment modalities. Including the traditional decompressive laminectomy surgery, discectomy surgery, or combined steel screw fixation surgery, and vertebral body frame bone fusion, the results are good, but the recovery period is long, and those who have bone fusion still have mobile functions and vertebral joints. The angle becomes smaller.

At present, there is a new minimally invasive "dynamic stabilization of the lumbar spine", which not only has small wounds and fast recovery, but also has relatively improved safety and postoperative satisfaction. Because installing a lumbar dynamic stabilizer between the lumbar joints is equivalent to increasing the stability of the bone joints, reducing direct wear and tear between bones, and making the front and rear bearing capacity of the lumbar vertebrae more even. In the past, the material was mostly titanium alloy, which was easier to shift, but the silicone material that has appeared in the past 2 or 3 years has no problem of shifting. Slow down the degeneration of adjacent intervertebral bodies and preserve the elastic extension between vertebrae, allowing patients to maintain a better range of motion after surgery.

The lumbar joint dynamic stabilizer makes it no longer difficult to bend over and swing.

The "dynamic stabilization of the lumbar spine" has been performed in Taiwan for more than 10 years and has been performed abroad for more than 20 years. Clinical experience. Recently, a 60-year-old man in the clinic received surgical treatment due to lumbar degeneration. He used this new technology at his own expense to solve the problem of lower back pain and lower limb pain once and for all. He recovered quickly after the operation and was able to swing and play golf in the future without any need. Wearing a brace for a long time is enviable.

However, it is worth noting that this surgery is not suitable for everyone. It is not suitable for patients with spinal injuries, osteoporosis, spinal cord infection or obesity.

Thoughtful reminder:

Although the medical insurance currently does not cover the surgical materials, and the patient must pay for the surgical materials at his own expense, the lumbar joint dynamic stabilizer can now incorporate intervertebral discs, etc. Resection surgery can also be used alone. Placement surgery has low risks and high safety. The average cost of surgical materials is about 80,000 to 130,000 yuan. It is suitable for patients with lumbar degeneration who expect "small wounds, quick recovery, short hospitalization, and less damage." It will be a new treatment option. Dr. Gao Dingxian (pictured) emphasized that when conservative treatments for lumbar spine degeneration fail, surgical treatment is a more effective treatment method. (Photo/Reporter Jiang Minjun) Director Gao Dingxian (pictured) pointed out that lumbar spine degeneration is not exclusive to the elderly, but has become younger in Taiwan.

(Photography/Reporter Jiang Minjun)