It started at the spine

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The pain went down to his legs. He has been limping for almost a year. The cause of pain was found here at Sukhumvit Hospital. It started at the spine.

A young man from Chumporn province suffered “the vicious pain” caused by his damaged spine, hard work, and an accident right at his spine afterwards. His back pain never went away and was left untreated. A hospital in his hometown prescribed pain medicines and muscle relaxants without any further treatment. Many other hospitals that he went to suggested that he had major surgery. He was not ready for that and tried to live with it for almost a year.

Piyasak Nachokkate, 47, told us about the beginning of his back pain experience. “My backpain gradually increased whilst I worked as a driver. I had to lift heavy objects and also played sports quite seriously. The pain that was minor started to get worse to the unbearable point. I browsed through websites and found that Sukhumvit Hospital can treat backpain using endoscopic surgery and I was interested because it was a minor surgery, right to the point, and quick recovery. I thought I would be able to resume my work quickly. I decided to travel to Bangkok and discuss my pain with Dr.Poonsak. His advices were very impressive. He gave me information of the surgery and other treatment methods. I decided right away that I wanted to be treated here. Previously I relied on oral medicines only. What impressed me more was the post-surgery recovery period was very short. I returned to my normal life very quickly. If you are facing the same problem as mine, please treat it early. If you leave it untreated it will become chronic and the treatment will be more complicated.

Dr. Poonsak Artamnuayvipas, Orthopedic Surgeon of Sukhumvit Hospital said “This patient suffered back pain which went down to both of his legs followed by numbness that also got worse. He barely walked without resting. The worst condition was when he could stand only 15 minutes. A computer X-ray showed dislocation of his spine and a weird formation of his bone. To make it worse, there was a herniated disc that also pressed on a nerve of his back. I suggested that he has an endoscopic surgery. He was still young and his back muscles and bones were in good shapes. Our treatment plan was mainly to reserve his spine by just expanding inside of it, removing the protruding bone and the herniated disc. If all of these were left untreated there would be so much impact we couldn’t afford afterwards”.

“One thing for sure was the pain would be increasing, pressure on the nerves would be higher. Numbness and pain would get worse and eventually he wouldn’t be able to stand even for a short while. If the herniated disc was dislocated or bigger, more nerves would be affected and his legs could be so weak that he could no longer walk or work at all. After the surgery and the follow up in 1 week, we found that his back pain got 70-80% better. The numbness disappeared up to 80%. Right now he can stand and walk longer and travel in a car in a longer distance. He is in a muscle rehabilitation session. After the session is completed, he should be able to work normally”

This is a technology called “Endoscopic Decompression” and “Endoscopic Discectomy”. From his 35 years experiences of orthopedic surgery, he found the dislocation of some part of the bone and a herniated disc that pressed the nerves. Fortunately, the patient was young with healthy back muscles and his bone structure still functioned very well. That’s why “Endoscopic Decompression” was recommended because it worked well in younger age. For Piyasak or other patients who underwent this same procedure, they can prevent any unexpected illness in the future by taking regular exercise to strengthen their back, avoiding lifting heavy objects, and working with the right posture. All of these will help prevent the back, make it stronger and last longer without problems. They can play sports they love if they sufficiently exercise their back. They should strictly take precautions such as avoid lifting heavy objects, avoid being hit hard at the back, etc.

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Advices by Orthopedics Surgeon

“For those who have back pain that goes down the legs and the numbness, both young and old, if such symptoms have lasted longer than 2 weeks, you should see a doctor. If the examination shows you have herniated disc and if you are old, do not be afraid of the surgery. Right now we have so many technologies to help you with minimized risks”.

For the case of our patient from Chumporn province, it made us clearly see the medical advancement of endoscopic surgery with is precisely effective if done by our orthopedics specialist at Sukhumvit Hospital



Dr. Poonsak Artamnuayvipas

Dr. Poonsak Artamnuayvipas
Orthopedics Surgery




FormoreInformation :
Orthopedics Surgery Center
Floor 1st Sukumvithospital
call. 02-391-0011 ext 110, 111



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