Keep your spine healthy

Pandemic pushes lower back and neck problems to new levels! Try to get more aware of posture and exercise and weight management, and whatever else can do for improving spine health.

Long before the pandemic, back pain was the second-most common cause of a visit to the doctor after the common cold. Issues with the cervical (neck) and lumbar spine also represented the top disabling health condition among adults 60 years of age and older. More than 2 years into the COVID-19 pandemic, and its related homebased isolation, back and neck pain are on the rise. That’s

Many patients come to Greece after learning that they would have to wait for months to undergo a similar surgery in their country.

because people are becoming more sedentary and eating more as a result of the coronavirus isolation.

People who are still stuck at home are sitting for much too long, practicing bad posture, overeating and not exercising in a way to improve spine health. Stretching and resistance training that focuses on core strengthening is ideal for the “core muscles” that make up the abdomen and lower back.

According to researches, sitting for more than five hours really increases the risk of lower back pain. Too much sitting also increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. But from the standpoint of lower back pain, people are now spending more time sitting and they’re not getting up like they would in the workplace and taking few steps around the workstation or walking around the office.

BENEFITS OF SURGERY IN GREECE

Save money - You can make significant savings compared to your country costs Save time - You can beat national health care system waiting lists Excellent quality - Greek surgeons are world’s best Effective and seamless post-surgery treatment program Treat yourself and your family member You can even turn your trip into a holiday

The top risk factors for back pain

AGING: The spine over the years can produce conditions, such as disc degeneration and spinal stenosis, that cause neck and back pain. GENETICS: Certain types of spinal disorders have a genetic component, including degenerative disc disease. OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS: Any job that requires repetitive bending and lifting has a high risk of back injury, such as construction workers. SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE: Lack of regular exercise increases risks for occurrence of lower back pain. EXCESS WEIGHT: Being overweight increases stress on the lower back.

HEALTH

DON’T M.I.S.S. A THING!

SPINAL CONDITIONS AND INJURIES ARE NO LONGER DEBILITATING. THE LATEST APPROACHES AND TECHNIQUES ENSURE THAT PATIENTS ARE RETURNING TO THEIR REGULAR LIFE ACTIVITIES, ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SURGERY

Georgios Vastardis MD, PhD, Spine Surgeon Head of Endoscopic & Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Clinic (M.I.S.S.) facebook, youtube, linkedin: Endospinehellas www.endospinehellas.gr

Traditional spine surgery was associated with a long and painful recovery. Yet modern medical breakthroughs in endoscopic and minimally invasive surgical techniques offer pain relief faster and more effectively than ever before. “Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) treats the whole spectrum of spinal conditions – and is, indeed, a game-changer for suffering patients”, Dr Georgios Vastardis, states. MISS is implemented with small incisions of the skin (~1cm) and the use of micro-endoscopic techniques under visual magnification. “This prevents bleeding while minimizes the destruction of adjoining tissues, achieving an optimum surgical result”, Dr Vastardis explains. Among the latest cutting edge techniques are: Epidural, intrathecal infusion (Block), the exclusion of the posterior joints (Facet Joints) and the infusions in the sympathetic nerves. These can treat chronic or acute spinal or leg pain caused by the nerve roots, under intraoperative fluoroscopy imaging and local anaesthesia. • Thermal or chemical reduction of the nucleus of the intervertebral disc (discoplasty). • Endoscopic spine surgery for the pathologies of the intervertebral disc or for stenotic disorders of the spinal canal or the foramens. • Removal of the traumatic disc hernia & annuloplasty –cauterization of the disc annulus with radiofrequency or laser fibres, so as to minimize post-operative pain and complications. • Rhizotomy, which treats lower back pain caused by arthritis or inflammation of the posterior joints of the spine, cauterizing the medial branch of the sensory nerves that are responsible for the perception of low back pain, with radiofrequency or laser fibres. • Relieving the pressure with fenestration or hemilaminectomy of the spine in cases such as the central stenosis of the spine. • Foraminoplasty: the decompression of the nervous structure in lateral-foraminal stenosis. • Endoscopic assisted spinal fusion. The wedge vertebral fractures of the spine, which are caused by some injury or an automatic mechanism due to strain of the spinal column and some related pathology, such as osteoporosis are treated by kyphoplasty –a method of internal reduction and stabilisation of the fractures percutaneously. Dr. Georgios Vastardis, MD, PhD, at the Endoscopic & Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Clinic is being appointed as a Center of Excellence for Full Endoscopic Spine Surgery. “With MISS the patient usually leaves the hospital the same day, a few hours after the surgery, returning to their usual activities as soon as possible”, Dr Vastardis asserts. And this makes a world of difference.