Spine Navigation Surgery - minimal invasive and computer assisted surgery

Spine Navigation Surgery was introduced since year 2000 and adapted in Hong Kong for more than 5 years. Similar technology was widely used in driving, computer games (like Wii),etc. The image-based technology used in spinal surgery utilizes scans of the patient's anatomy and instruments that are tracked by the Navigation System's camera. Navigation can help orthopaedic surgeon to guide their instruments for precise screw placement and reduce X-ray exposure.

Spine navigation surgery - Applications

Orthopaedic doctor will undergo proper diagnosis and evaluation before recommendation of surgery. Generally, the spine navigation surgery is applicable for common spinal disorders and especially for surgical position that require precise screw placement. For example,

1.      Patient requires re-operation due to operation failure. 

2.      Surgical position is worn out or delicate, such as osteoporotic patients.

3.      Surgical position is located in hard-to-reach area, like neck, distorted vertebrate, pedicle of vertebral arch.

Reference information: www.ispine.com.hk

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your orthopedic doctors for diagnosis and treatment.

Back Pain Treatment (Hong Kong reporter)

       1.      Physiotherapy. It can be classified as active and inactive treatment.

Active – effectively strengthen the patient’s muscle through persistent specific exercise. 

Inactive – relieve pain in specific position through micro-current therapy

Misconception:

Many patients believe that reductions of physical activity can relieve their pain conditions, however, it is incorrect as physical acticity can help to strengthen your muscle and relieve the pain in long term. You are recommend to consult physiotherapy to personalize an exercise plan for you.

2.      Medication

Depends on the severity of pain, orthopaedic doctor would prescribe oral medications for pain reliever. If needed or pain persist, orthopaedic doctor may recommend for intramuscular or percutaneous injections of nerve blocks to control your back pain.

3.      Surgery

Orthopaedic doctor would recommend for orthopaedic surgery if needed, especially for patients suffering:

i.                    Medications and physiotherapy treatments cannot manipulate the back pain

ii.                  Incontinence caused by nerve compression

iii.                Progressive muscle weakness caused by nerve compression

iv.                No improvement of pain conditions after 4-6 weeks physiotherapy treatment.

Reference information: www.ispine.com.hk

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your orthopaedic doctor.

What is back pain?

1.      Degeneration

The rate of degneration is vary from people. Generally, the interverbral disc and joints will become unstable after aged 30, leading to back pain or sciatia caused by nerve compressions.

2.      Bone Projection / over-growth

Osteophytes (bone spur) form naturally on the back of the spine as a person ages and are a sign of degeneration in the spine. In most cases, the spur are not the source of back pains. However, if the bone projections compress the adjunct nerves and suppress the blood supply to the nerve, the patients would suffer pain in running or standing position.

3.      Others

If back pain caused by tumor/ cancer or bacterial infections, patients may experience persistent pain in back, leading to insomnia and other associated syndromes.  

Back Pain - prevention

Exercise is an effective way to strengthen your muscles. The strong muscles can help to maintain a correct position of spine. Low-impact activities can increase overall fitness without straining the low back.

Reference information: www.knowyourback.org, ispine.com.hk

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your personal physician.

骨質疏鬆成因，預防及治療

在成長中，骨骼不斷形成和流失，此過程稱之為骨骼的新陳代謝。骨質密度在兒童及青少年時期會不斷增加，到30-45歲時，骨質密度會達至最高峰。期後，骨質流失的速度會比其形成快，因而引致骨骼變得脆弱，骨骼容易破裂或骨折，此情況稱為骨質疏鬆症。

骨質疏鬆症 - 成因

除了婦女於更年期受荷爾蒙的轉變影響之外，其他因素亦會增加患上骨質疏鬆症的風險：

1.       過早停經

2.       經常跌倒

3.       長期使用皮質類固醇類等藥物

4.       體型瘦小

5.       家庭成員曾患有骨質疏鬆症

6.       吸煙或酗酒人士 .. 等等

如何診斷骨質疏鬆症？

在患病的初期，骨質疏鬆症患者可能沒有出現任何症狀，直到病況惡化才被發現。因此很多時候，骨折便成為首先出現的『症狀』。若醫生認為您有患骨質疏鬆症的危機，便會替您進行骨質密度檢查，較常用雙能量X光檢查（DEXA）。

骨質疏鬆症 – 預防及治療

1.       運動及均衡飲食。適量運動及攝取充足的鈣質和維他命D可增加骨質形成。建議諮詢您的骨科醫生及物理治療師去度身訂造適合您的運動和餐單。

2.       藥物治療。目前，有多種用於治療骨質疏鬆症的藥物，當中以雙磷酸鹽為治療的首選，雙磷酸鹽是一種能抑制骨質分解及流失的藥物。

3.       骨科手術。骨科醫生診斷骨質疏鬆症的嚴重程度。如果合適的話，骨科醫生會建議進行手術處理骨折或骨骼脆弱的部分。

參考資料: http://www.ispine.com.hk

以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，應向自己的醫生查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。

Back pain - Physical therapy & Surgery

A physical therapist can apply a variety of treatments, such as heat, ice, ultrasound, electrical stimulation and muscle-release techniques, to your back muscles and soft tissues to reduce pain. As pain improves, the therapist can teach you specific exercises to increase your flexibility, strengthen your back and abdominal muscles, and improve your posture. Regular use of these techniques will help prevent pain from returning.
Injections
If other measures don't relieve your pain and if your pain radiates down your leg, your doctor may inject cortisone — an anti-inflammatory medication — into the space around your spinal cord (epidural space).
Surgery
Types of back surgery include:

• Spine navigation surgery. It is a new techniques that can enhance the precision in the surgical regions, reduce the surgical time, reduce radiation exposures to patients and surgeon. Increase safety and accuracy through more precise screw placement and enables minimally invasive approaches.
• Partial removal of disk. If disk material is pressing or squeezing a nerve, your orthopaedics doctor may be able to remove just the portion of the disk that's causing the problem.
• Partial removal of a vertebra. If your spine has developed bony growths that are pinching your spinal cord or nerves, orthopaedics surgeons can remove a small section of the offending vertebra, to open up the passage.
• Fusion. This surgery involves joining two vertebrae to eliminate painful movement. A drawback to the procedure is that it increases the chances of arthritis developing in adjoining vertebrae.

Reference information: knowyourback.org, ispine.com.hk, www.stryker.com

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your personal physician.