Disc herniation is one of the most common osteoarthritis diseases, usually occurring in middle-aged people in the aging stage and in the elderly. The disease causes many unpleasant effects on health and daily life, even if not treated in time, it can cause paralysis.
There are several ways to treat disc herniation, depending on the severity of the disease. There are cases that require surgery, but there are also people who do not need disc herniation surgery. So when to medical treatment and when to surgery?
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Disc herniation – A common disease in modern society
Disc herniation is a very common bone and joint disease that often occurs in the elderly due to aging. However, in modern society, this pathology tends to rejuvenate in the age group from 25 to 55 years old due to the increasing intensity of work of young people.
According to statistics, 10% of the disease occurs in the group of people under 40 years old, 5% in the group over 4 years old. Approximately one third of patients before the age of 60 have one or more floors with a herniated spine.
Although the disease can cause many dangerous complications, many people are still very subjective about the treatment of this disease and do not persevere in cure.
Accompanying that is the habit of living and eating unscientific along with the neglect in taking drugs causes the greasy condition of the drug, making the disease worse and worse. As a result, degenerated discs increasingly harden, brittle and brittle, and even rupture of the disc leading to a loss of resilience.
According to doctors, there have even been cases of numbness, pain on the outside of the legs, the inside of the buttocks or the thighs, shoulder pain , nape , neck pain … making the patient easy. is confused between joint injuries or common pain symptoms.
However, these are actually the symptoms of spinal disc herniation and cause damage to the nerve roots. When not detected early and treated in time, it can lead to dangerous complications such as an irreversible limb disfigurement.
Symptoms of disc herniation
People with a herniated disc will face a lot of pain in the spinal system. Some of the symptoms can be mentioned such as:
- Severe pain in the neck, shoulders, neck, limbs numbness. The pain lasted for days, dulling, and worsened with exercise, but only with rest.
- Painful sensations can spread to the lower back, neck, buttocks, thighs, legs, groin, etc., making patients feel confused.
- Muscle weakness, muscle atrophy, paralysis, causing difficulty in movement.
- Have incontinence or urinary retention.
- No sensation left in inner thighs, behind thighs and around anus.
Besides, depending on the location of the herniated disc, the patient will have different symptoms. The two most common types of disc herniation are lumbar disc herniations and cervical disc herniation.
- Lumbar spinal disc herniation : disease causes dull and constant pain symptoms in the lumbar region. Every time you exercise, cough or sneeze, the pain will increase many times. Feeling pain along the buttocks pulling down the legs, causing numbness, making the patient unable to work in the posture of arching the waist, making it difficult to bend down …
- Cervical spinal disc herniation : This disease is characteristic of causing pain along the nape of the neck, aching pain extending to the shoulders and arms. Patients will feel clearly a sense of numbness in the arms, the hand force will decrease and affect the normal movement of holding, holding, carrying, carrying ….
Causes of disc herniation
According to experts, the structure of the disc consists of 2 parts are the inner mucus core and the outer fiber covering. The disc is the part between the two vertebrae and helps absorb impulses, is able to withstand loads and large impacts to protect the spine.
Therefore, to cause a herniated disc can be due to the following reasons:
- Due to degeneration of the spine due to aging process plus injury caused by mechanical or daily movements, the fibrous disc is torn, causing the nucleus to escape and compressing the spinal nerve .
- Because the patient has to do heavy work, too much and in the wrong position for a long time, the spine is damaged.
- Congenital disc herniation
- Due to genetic factors
- Due to being overweight, obesity overloads the body with great pressure on the spine, especially the lumbar region.
Methods of treatment of disc herniation
Currently, with the development of medicine, the treatment of disc herniation has many different methods. Depending on the serious or mild condition and the health condition of the patient, the doctor will make the most appropriate treatment options.
In general, here are the most common treatments for disc herniation:
- Medical treatment: Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation, Traditional Medicine, Massge, Acupressure, Acupuncture.
- Surgical treatment: surgery, laparoscopic surgery, curing disc herniation with high frequency waves, by laser technology
Should surgery disc herniation?
According to statistics at major hospitals and medical facilities, about 90% of patients with disc herniation choose medical treatments combined with physical therapy and functional rehabilitation methods.
Medical treatment is used in cases where the fibrous disc has not been torn or protruded. The purpose of this method is to help relieve pain, restore mobility, and support the herniated disc to contract. If treated aggressively and properly, the success rate will reach 95%.
This is explained by experts that people with spinal disease can completely be treated conservatively without the need for surgical intervention. Therefore, surgery for disc herniation is not the first priority method in treating disc herniation. Only under 10% of cases are indicated to perform surgery.
Accordingly, surgery for disc herniation is usually indicated to perform in the following cases:
- The process of medical treatment combined with physical therapy, rehabilitation is ineffective and lasts more than 8 weeks.
- An acute nerve compression has occurred.
- Disc herniation causes such pain that pain relievers are not effective.
- Patients with migratory hernias, herniated disc with torn fibrous envelopes.
- Disc hernia becomes paralyzed or causes horsetail syndrome.
What are the methods of disc herniation surgery?
With the development of modern medicine, performing disc herniation surgery can be performed by many methods, depending on the patient’s choice and the physician’s consideration of the condition of the disease.
Currently, disc herniation surgery is divided into 3 main categories, including:
- Opening : This is the surgical method chosen by many patients because it is highly effective and the cost of surgery is also relatively low.
- Laparoscopy : The effectiveness of laparoscopic surgery is higher than that of open surgery and it is accompanied by a very fast and safe recovery time after surgery, avoiding risks and of course the cost of laparoscopic surgery. will be higher than open surgery.
- Microsurgery : This is a new invention of world medicine. This surgical method is very effective and ensures safety and overcomes the risks that may occur with other methods. Especially with high aesthetics, no scars should be chosen by many patients.
Cost of disc herniation surgery
Normally, in Vietnam, a simple disc herniation operation, not too serious, means that there is no spinal stenosis, just to remove the herniated nucleus, the cost will fluctuate in the range of 15-20 million VND.
In the case of patients with severe disc herniation and herniation in many positions (multistage herniation) or herniation with spinal stenosis occurs, it is imperative to remove the herniated nucleus associated with arching. later to decompress the spine, place a brace to fix the spine. At this time, the cost for the screw brace is about 30 million VND or more.
In addition, other costs for a complete surgery will be about 10 – 12 million VND including surgical materials, anesthesia … Those who choose to have laparoscopic surgery will have higher costs than other common surgeries.
In addition, after surgery, the patient will have to use pain relievers and antibiotics to prevent inflammation of the wound for at least 14 days. Therefore, the postoperative cost of disc herniation also includes medical treatment fees, hospital bed fees, food expenses, care services …
Where should surgery disc herniation ensure safety?
Here are 3 reputable medical facilities that patients can refer to, select and treat disc herniation. All of these hospitals are highly appreciated by experts and have passed the accreditation and evaluation criteria, have prestigious facilities, and have high professional qualifications of doctors.
Hospital 108
Address : No. 1 Tran Hung Dao, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi
Hospital 108 is a well-known hospital in Hanoi and across the country, with expertise in disc herniation surgery with advanced technologies such as laparoscopic surgery, laser surgery, enamel etching or wave heat high frequency … should be chosen by many patients.
In addition, Hospital 108 has a team of experienced nurses and doctors, enthusiastic and attentive care will surely bring the best satisfaction to patients.
Hospital 108 is applying many advanced methods of disc herniation surgery such as laser surgery, laparoscopic surgery, enamel etching or radiotherapy …
Vietnam-Germany Hospital
Address : 40 Trang Thi, Hang Bong, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Viet Duc Hospital is definitely an address not to be missed in the list of hospitals with specialties in disc herniation surgery. This is also the first hospital in Vietnam to apply robotic surgery techniques, long experience in replacing discs for the lumbar spine and many other medical achievements.
Since this is a private hospital, the cost for a disc herniation surgery at Viet Duc hospital is about 50 million VND. This price is quite high compared to other places but it will exchange absolute peace of mind for the patient.
Cho Ray Hospital
Address : 201B Nguyen Chi Thanh, Ward 12, District 5, City. Ho Chi Minh.
Cho Ray Hospital is one of the leading hospitals in the South and across the country. The hospital brings together a team of medical doctors with many years of experience and continuously improving and acquiring advanced technology in the world. With quality and modern equipment and machines and professional and dedicated care for patients. Therefore, if you want to find a hospital to perform disc herniation surgery, Cho Ray hospital is a place you can completely trust.
A number of complications can occur after surgery
Any surgery is risky, and so is disc herniation surgery. Some complications can occur such as:
- Infections after surgical herniation of the disc
- The incision is completely infected inside the spine or in the disc.
- Persistent pain after disc herniation surgery even when doing nothing.
- Pain around scar tissue after surgery
- Nerve damage
At this point, the patient needs to observe the symptoms and notify the doctor about this condition for a timely remedy. In addition, take initiative in taking care of your health after surgery with the following notes:
- Practice regular walking to help blood circulate better to the area that used to have a hernia, helping to shorten the recovery time.
- Absolutely do not carry heavy objects or perform strong movements that affect the lumbar region, hips and especially the herniated incision.
- Fully supplement essential nutrients for the body to strengthen resistance, avoid infection, wound infection.
Hopefully, with this useful information will help people with disc herniation gain more knowledge and make a decision whether or not to operate disc herniation or not to reverse the disease, quickly regain life. normal.
