Back pain is a common problem for most people. It comes and goes.
For most people, back pain can be uncomfortable but is not usually serious. But for some, when it hits, it can be so bad that one can't even sit on a toilet seat or get out of bed.
Fortunately now there is an outpatient treatment that is highly effective in relieving your pain and getting you back to your life in no time.
Modern development of decompression traction equipment has led to a higher success rate of disc healing compared to previous treatment options.
The Stryker disc decompression is a highly effective procedure that helps reduce pressure on the nerve root by removing the disc nucleus while preserving disc strength and future treatment options, including surgery.
Dr Bernard Lee, founder and director of Singapore Pain Care Center, Singapore, is one of the few pioneering pain specialists who perform this disc decompression procedure.
Lee, who has performed the procedure successfully on more than 35 patients, calls the Stryker Disc Decompression, the "Magic Wand".
Patients who have undergone this procedure would most definitely concur.
"The complications for this procedure are almost zero for patients who fit the criteria for it," Lee said.
"Not everybody can have this done," he added.
"There must be a certain disc height, and not more than 50 percent of the disc should be prolapsed or have slipped out."
Stryker Disc Decompression is done while patients are awake but sedated. Using X-ray guidance, the "Magic Wand" is inserted through the skin and into the nucleus (center) of the disc.
The wand is a high-frequency oscillation drill. When the penetration is in the right position, it drills through the centre of the disc. The herniated disc tissue is then removed and deposited into a chamber.
"People get slipped discs due to the high pressure within the disc and weakness in the outer layer of the disc capsule. We remove about 1cc of disc material. This creates a negative pressure or a vacuum, which then causes the disc to shrink inwards," Lee explained.
After the procedure, the patient is shown the disc material extracted from his spine. Once the disc has shrunk, it no longer touches the nerve roots of the spinal cord and the pain will go away.
Patients will be placed in a recovery room for a short period of time after the procedure.
Normally, patients will be discharged within one to three hours of treatment.
In addition to significant pain relief, rapid recovery, low complication and morbidity rates, this procedure also incurs less scarring.
The procedure could cost you around S$12,000 (Rp 82 million), including five physiotherapy sessions, depending on how serious your condition is. He also performs many other minimal invasive procedures for spinal conditions.
cFlyFreeForHealth2009. Articles in this column, which will appear every two weeks, are provided by a panel of doctors from www.flyfreeforhealth.com, a leading multimedia medical tourism platform. Dr. Bernard Lee is one of Singapore's pioneering interventional pain specialists and Director for Interventional Pain Management Services at Singapore Pain Care Center. Join FlyFreeForHealth's online seminar for free by SMSing your email address to +65-98IREACH (+6598473224) to receive the exclusive invite. Hurry, limited space! Email us at info@flyfreeforhealth.com.
AP/GenePartner
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