Spinal pain is a painful condition that usually occurs in the spine. Almost everyone has experienced this condition, especially low back pain. Spinal pain is often associated with disorders of the spinal cord. While the problems in the spinal cord itself are very diverse and can be caused by several things such as a pinched nerve, tumor, infection, even an accident that causes injury to the spinal cord. Meanwhile, degenerative diseases such as osteoporosis can also cause problems in the spinal cord. Without realizing it, some people with spinal pain need more specific examinations such as surgery to treat pain that occurs in the spine.
Brain and spinal cord tissue
The network of the brain and spinal cord as well as peripheral nerves is actually a unit that cannot be separated and cannot be matched even with a superconducting computer. However, even though the brain tissue is normal, the limbs and other limbs will not be able to function properly if the spinal cord or peripheral nerves are damaged.
If damage to the brain tissue can cause paralysis, impaired sensibility, vision or other disturbances, damage to the spinal cord can cause paralysis of the limbs, difficulty defecating or urinating and even being unable to hold urine or defecation, depending on the location of the damage. in the spinal cord itself.
Did you know that disorders of the spinal cord are no less numerous than abnormalities in the brain, such as nerves being pinched by ruptures of the spinal discs both in the neck and in the lumbar region, this is the most common case, in addition to tumors, infections and vascular disorders. Likewise if the peripheral nerves are disturbed. Various disturbances ranging from tingling, radiating pain to paralysis such as paralysis of the brachial plexus, ischiadicus, and so on will be felt by sufferers.
Management of spinal cord disorders
Abnormalities of the spinal cord, especially pinched nerves due to ruptured bony discs or canal stenosis due to the aging process, can be performed operatively using either microsurgery or endoscopic surgery , where recently endoscopic surgery techniques have been developed. This technique was developed by Destandau in 1993 from Bordeaux, France and now its use and technique are growing.
What are the Advantages of Endoscopic Surgery?
The advantages of endoscopic surgery and microsurgery in spinal surgery are:
- The wound is small, only 1.5-2 cm
- Injury to the surrounding tissue is minimal
- The treatment period is only one day or even go straight home after the operation/short treatment period, so that the patient's activities can be carried out immediately.
This technique can already be done at the EMC Hospital.
Navigation and Intraoperative Monitoring To Minimize Complications
For various cases of surgery both on the brain and on the spinal cord, other sophisticated supporting equipment is also needed such as CUSA (tumor destroyer), NAVIGATOR (direction control), IOM (intraoperative monitoring) and so on. All these state-of-the-art tools are of course available solely for the health of the patient. You certainly can't imagine having to perform an operation with minimal equipment that could result in some healthy nerve tissue being damaged, right?
The development of neurosurgical techniques, especially in the spinal cord accompanied by sophisticated equipment, of course has many positive impacts because it provides a minimally invasive effect. What is meant by minimally invasive is that the surgical wound is getting smaller, the tissue damage is minimal so that the doctors take more abnormalities than damage the surrounding tissue. That way the patient no longer needs to stay in the hospital for a long time, the cost of treatment can be reduced, the possibility of complications that occur is also smaller, the healing process is faster, and of course the patient can return to his activities more quickly.
During the operation, a neurosurgeon will be assisted by a neurophysiologist who operates the IOM (intraoperative monitoring) so that possible complications do not occur and important nerves are protected. The point is through this tool when normal nerves are touched, he will give a code. Coupled with the presence of navigation which functions as a direction control so that when installing the tool does not get lost and damage the nerves. Based on this, the doctor will only remove damaged tissue without damaging healthy nerves/tissues, so that complications that may arise can be minimized.
If you feel pain in the spine, you should immediately consult a doctor at the hospital. Symptoms of pain in the spine should not be ignored because it can trigger more serious problems. To maintain spinal health, it is advisable to do sports and adopt a healthy lifestyle.
This article was written by dr. Alfred Sutrisno Sim, Sp. BS (K) (Neurosurgeon or Neurosurgeon at EMC Alam Sutera Hospital).