The spine is the most important part of the body. Given its delicate nature, it is also susceptible to injuries, which could result from exercising to lifting heavy objects or poor sleeping positions. There are several everyday activities that could put undue stress on the spine and result in long-term spine problems.

“People, irrespective of their age can suffer from spine problems. While the older population suffer from back problems due to the natural degeneration of the spine, it has been observed that most of the young population suffer from spine problems due to wrong posture, use of digital device like smartphones and tablets and obesity,” said Dr Seung Jun Park, MD, Consultant Orthopedics at Himchan – UHS Spine & Joint Center.

The most significant spinal diseases that lead to back pain are spinal stenosis and herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP, a.k.a discs). Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the space within the spine, which can put pressure on the nerves that travel through the spine and may occur in the lower back or neck. Herniated nucleus pulposus is prolapse of an intervertebral disk through a tear in the surrounding annulus fibrosus, which causes pain when the disk impinges on an adjacent nerve root.

“Earlier, the road to eliminating chronic pain due to spinal injuries involved invasive surgeries and long recovery times. However, new innovative surgical procedures has made it easy for patients wanting to get rid of their pain for good. The state-of-the art endoscopic spine surgery for degenerative spinal diseases allow surgeons to correct spinal problems using a series of small surgical incisions,” added Dr Seung Jun Park.

Endoscopic procedures are minimally invasive surgical techniques, which is performed through a small scope or camera. The technique not only evades the risk for a tissue injury, but can also be applied conveniently on the older population who suffer from diabetes or hypertension. The advantage of a smaller incision (less than 1cm) and the introduction of a high-resolution camera has improved the recovery times. Endoscopic spine surgery can remove bone spurs, open up nerves and remove disc herniations all through an incision smaller than a dime, allowing accurate incisions. It has been observed that endoscopic spine surgeries offer 90 percent success rate, and given the introduction of the new technique at Himchan – UHS Spine & Joint Center, the positive momentum is set to continue.

Medical experts suggest the use of spinal endoscopic spine surgery for patients who have severe back pain and/or leg pain. It is also recommended for patients who want to quickly return to daily life or patients who find it difficult to have a conventional operation due to chronic diseases. The technique is also recommended for patients who have experienced failure in the past surgeries or treatments.

A study on Global Endoscopy Devices Industry indicated that the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.2 percent during 2018-2023, owing to rising prevalence of diseases requiring endoscopy for diagnosis and technological advancements in healthcare sector, increasing expenditure on healthcare and patient preference for minimally invasive surgeries.

According to Dr Dae Won Cho, MD, Consultant Spine Surgeon at Himchan – UHS Spine & Joint Center, patients should opt for treatments based on age, cause of the pain, duration, former treatment experience and careers. He recommends opting for endoscopic spine surgery, which can be applied across a variety of symptoms and situations. However, he stresses the importance of choosing the right expert to suit each patient.

Introduction of endoscopic spine surgery has not only unleashed new potential for faster, safer and more effective surgical recoveries, but has also exceeded the expectations of patients, as reported by the Joint Research Team of Himchan Hospital in Korea, that submitted two dissertations chosen by a globally renowned SCI(E) academic journal in 2018.