"Whose spine is that?" I said to the radiologist, who replied, - "I'm afraid sir, it's yours."

It was the early 1990's in the United Kingdom, I had just had my first MRI scan, and as a medical practitioner I was allowed into the radiology office, and on the screen were images of a cervical spine which had considerable problems at several levels. To discover it was mine, gave me surprise and concern.
Yes I had been suffering with neck and arm pain, but apart from that, I felt really fit and well, I was only in my thirties, and had no family history of such severe problems.

Before hospital work and family medicine, I had been an active gymnast, sports player and runner at school, I had been fitter than most during my army officer training and had completed all the physical tasks required of a young regimental medical officer on active service in various parts of the world. There had been a few times when my back had suffered, especially when jumping daily with a large medical pack from helicopters in Northern Ireland, but as the only doctor in the area, I carried on and soon recovered.
Later as a family doctor and first aid brigade surgeon, I also covered many sporting events for medical support, and after lifting casualties had once needed a spell on hospital traction for my lumbar spine, but had recovered well and was still fit, golfing regularly, playing squash, football and skiing with my four children each winter.
I enjoyed my job immensely, got further qualified in occupational health (O.H.), founded a national O.H. medical company and studied for my MBA, all of which meant very hard physical and mental work, with many hours every day examining, reading, writing and especially much computer time.However, now amazed to see several discs pushing into my spinal cord at several levels in my neck, I went to see a local neurosurgeon in the UK, who looked at the images and said ??he last time I saw a neck like this was in a parachutist?? (even before he knew my history).
Not particularly concerned with the cause, I wanted to know what could be done. He said open surgery from the front of the neck, displacing the windpipe, gullet, thyroid, major blood vessel and nerves, to then remove the prolapsed discs, replacing them with bone from my pelvis. He explained that the risks involved significant minor and major side effects including the possibility of being quadriplegic (i.e. paralysed from the neck down!).
My medical approach to my own patients had always been conservative, to avoid risky treatments where possible, and I was not going to be any more cavalier with myself. The neurosurgeon somewhat reluctantly agreed to try to avoid surgery but insisted I must reduce my pace of work. This was not easy, but I resolved to slow down and to try to get away on holiday to the sunshine as often as possible, and with this the condition did settle down at times.
However in 2004, the neck pain became intractable, and I began to loose the use of my dominant left arm. I had now to seek surgery, and looked at Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery (MISS) in the UK. A specialist in Manchester said the UK had some experience in MISS for the lumbar spine, but there was little experience of the cervical spine, and mentioned a centre of excellence in South Korea lead by Professor (Dr) Sang Ho Lee.
My research included respected journals, Medline, and Internet sources of which many lead to the Wooridul Spine Centre in Seoul, and so I contacted Dr Lee?? team, who were extremely helpful.
After the long journey to Korea, hoping to have the MISS, I was met personally at the Incheon airport by Mr. James Lee, the senior administrator for overseas patients, and was soon undergoing detailed investigations with the most advanced imaging technology I had ever seen. Professor Lee saw me straight after and gave me some bad and good news.
He said that my extensive disc problems and spinal stenosis were too advanced for MISS, and advised open surgery with the reassurance of much lower side effects than previously suggested. I accepted and next day had open surgery, discectomies at C4/5/6 levels, with insertion of allografts from cadaver bone, with titanium steel plate and screw fixation to aid the fusion of the central part of my neck.
I expected a lot of pain, but the control was excellent, with absolutely no complications, the nursing care was great, the conditions were comfortable and the food was good. When the dressings came off, the scar was small, clean and already hardly visible. I was elated, (not only from the necessary steroids) but also at the already good results, arm pain much less, usage returning, and less numbness.?
Professor Lee explained that all had gone well, with good stabilisation at the treated levels. However the fusion of the central part of the neck could mean the rest of my spine would have to take more of the strain. Physiotherapy was provided, with exercises and postural advice to continue.
After returning to the UK in a neck collar, I was indeed much improved, and with modifications to my work place, I was able to get back part time work. When examining patients, reading, writing or working on computers, I tried to flex at the thoracic and lower levels to reduce the neck flexion.
I visited Korea in 2005 and 2006 and although there were still some problems of stenosis and disc narrowing at other cervical levels, I was delighted to see that the treated levels were fused, stable and that the cervical spine surgery had been very successful.
I was able to continue working part time with the rest, long winter holidays, and work adjustments until 2007, when a new problem emerged. - I started with chest pains.
Having excluded cardiovascular disease, the pain appeared be referred from my thoracic spine. This time I went promptly to Prof Lee in Korea. Very extensive investigations confirmed prolapsed discs, now in the thoracic spine also confirmed by provocation discography under CT vision.
This time, (probably because I did not delay), I was able to be treated by MISS, and underwent discectomies in March/April 2007 at the T8/9 and T4/5 levels. This was done under local anesthetic with a team of very experienced radiologists and neurosurgeons removing the majority of the disc material using their advanced imaging techniques, treatment of remaining disc space by Holmium Yag laser, and with some widening of some of the bony spaces which were also trapping nerves.
The alternative could have been as extensive as having to open my chest cavity, bypass the heart, and collapse the lungs, to remove the thoracic discs directly, with potentially very serious side effects.
At W.S.H. I was able to leave hospital in a chest brace the next day, and after staying in Asia for a month after the last procedure, I returned to the UK in May 2007.
I accept that the condition of my spine will always cause some pain and restricted movement, however currently the chest pain has almost completely gone and I have use and feeling in both my arms. Although I have been told to take it very easy for the future, I still hope to be able to return to some work even if only for a few hours per week.
The recent investigations also suggest that T2/3 level is also a potential problem, but most of my spine is now much more stable, and with the reduction in pain, I am very pleased with the success of my treatment by the Wooridul Spine Hospital team.
I hope that now by accepting their advice, I can avoid further surgery, but should other parts of my poor spine start to flare up I will have no hesitation in returning to WSH, and would recommend their expertise, and care to anyone with spinal problems.

Dr Robert A Wells. M.B. Ch.B. B.Sc. (Hons). M.R.C.G.P. M.B.A. Pt I+II. D.Occ.Med


A Numbing Experience!

February 15th 2006 proved to be the start of an experience that I would not wish on anyone! We had been living in Asia for nine years at that time and we always looked forward to our yearly ski holiday with friends that we had made for about twenty years.
We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday and returned to Kuala Lumpur but having landed I noticed a pain in my back that I assumed was from the long flight. I ?had a similar problem two years previously and it was I felt, from carrying too much luggage at one time. This resulted in my visits to a Chinese Doctor who gave me excellent treatment that eventually solved the problem after about six months.
A little about my personal history may as background, give an indication of how badly I had treated my body over the years.
Early days until around fifteen I was running, playing Football and the usual games that boys play.
At this age I took up a sport, not so well known, but very hard on the back. This was Cycle Speedway and for the next eleven years this was my main form of exercise. A period of inactivity then followed for about twelve years before taking up Squash at the age of thirty eight. I played squash every day at a competitive level from then, until 55 at which time we moved to Asia and due to the heat, all exercise except skiing which I took up at age 46 ceased.
Certainly this was not the best preparation for maintaining the back in good condition, especially as I was particularly negligent in warming up before sporting activities.
Back to the present, and this time the problem was more difficult to solve than previously but after one month of daily manipulation, heat treatment and massage I started to feel better.
Suddenly one evening I was out with friends and felt a sharp pain in my back. On going to bed I found that sleep was impossible and I spent most of the night taking hot baths and pain killers. The following morning I drove to work in great pain but could not get out of the car. I was carried from the car and taken to hospital where a slipped disc was diagnosed and I remained in hospital for four weeks undergoing physiotherapy and rest to attempt a recovery. This was a shock to my system because I had only been away from work for four days during my working life of forty-eight years.
After this time the recommendation was that I needed an operation to remove the part of the disc that had slipped and trapped the nerve, which was by now making my lower leg numb and giving me severe muscle pain in the upper leg.
I was told that this would entail surgery plus a long recovery period but that I had no choice and by now, I could not walk and had to use a wheelchair to be moved around.
One of the Doctors at the hospital in Malaysia then suggested an alternative solution. He informed me that there was a technique that had been used very successfully, and was minimal invasive surgery called Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy(PELD) and that this would enable me to return to normal, probably faster than with the usual open surgery.
However, there was a drawback; the technique was only available in certain countries, the nearest for me being Korea, but I was informed that the hospital in this country ??ooridul spine hospital??was probably the best for my condition.
As Korea was the nearest location and recommended by a neutral Doctor I flew to Seoul on Wednesday April 12th.2006 and was collected at the airport and transported to Wooridul Spine Hospital by Mr.? Hwang Lee (James!) who is the Chief of International Patient Centre.
He was surprised to see that I was in a wheelchair and commented that usually, the patient?? condition had not deteriorated so far. This left me worried that I would not be able to have the procedure or that if I was to have it, that I would not make a full recovery.
However, I was examined by Dr. Choi on arrival and to my surprise I was informed that I would undertake the procedure the next day.
The next day I was taken into the theatre and the lower part of my body was anesthetized but I remained conscious.
After a short time, Dr. Choi showed me the broken pieces of my disc, the area was protected with a plaster and I was taken back to my room. The whole procedure took maybe 30-40 minutes and I felt no pain or discomfort.
On recovery, I still had numbness and pain in the leg but no back problem. On the Saturday, four days after my arrival in Korea I left Seoul and flew back to Malaysia.
On the Monday I returned to work much to the shock of my work colleagues who could not believe that I had left in a wheel chair less than a week ago, after being unable to walk properly for nearly two months and unable to walk at all for the last month.
During my short time in the hospital I was looked after extremely well by all staff and especially the nurses. Even Western food was prepared for me although food would have been the least of my problems.
I know there was surgery, but I have no mark and there were no stitches. When the plaster was removed I had no further protection except a second plaster for one week.
Admittedly, I felt pain, from the damaged nerve but as time passed I improved weekly so much so that I could go on my ski holiday this year and went for two weeks instead of the usual one!
For me it was fantastic to ski from 9 o clock every day until evening without any pain or problem.
At the moment my wife and I go every weekend to various locations in Malaysia armed with a Heavy telescope and Camera to take nature photographs and although some days we walk too far and for too long, I am thankful I took the chance last year and I am delighted with my progress.
I am only sorry that I did not know of this procedure sooner as I feel very strongly that if I would have been treated before the onset of the leg pains that I would have recovered even faster.
I can only say:

THANKS TO WOORIDUL HOSPITAL AND STAFF.

Vincent Marsland.
Continental Sime tyre (Malaysia)? June 28, 2007


 

Dear president Sang Ho LEE, Dr. Cheol-Woong PARK, Dr.Yi-Sheng TSANG,
Your Wooridul Spine Hospital has been maintaining one of the hightest quality, best professional spine hospital. You cured me of my low back pain, and you help me to relex for both physical and mentally.
I felt no low back pain, no leg pain and weakness, only minor numbness of my left lateral foot now. Thank you very much.

I suffered from a low back pain while my heavy baggage lifting at March 10, 2003, my pain is constant and is frequently aggravated by coughing, sneezing, straining, and it which was initially located in the low back can shift into left side of the buttocks and into the sacroiliac joint, radiation into the left thigh, later extends into the lateral foot, cramps of the calf muscles in my left leg. I felt my left legs paralyzed and numbness of my left lateral foot.

I just cannot straighten up easily because of my severe, incapacitating pain, so I cannot continue my fellow work and study. I told my illness to James and Dr. TSANG, Dr. TSANG took a history and had a physical examination for me, and then reported my condition to president Sang Ho LEE. You gave me physical therapy and some medicine of pain relief because my pain is very terrible at first. I took a X-ray picture, CT scan and MRI. According to all above data of mine, you made a case discussion, and made a diagnosis that is herination lumbar disc, L5-S1, left side. The herniated neclenus pulposus is very large.

Dr. Park who has far advanced technology in minimally invasive spine surgery performed PELD on my spine on March 17, 2003, the period of operation is only about 30 minutes, my operative incision is only 6 mm in length. I can straighten up and walk again with my brace on the next day, Dr. Park made a ward round, and think I get discharged from hospital. The operation was a huge success, marvelous efficacy, MRI postoperative showed that my herniated disc was removed enough, so I continue my fellow work and study on 7 days after operation. The operation is very wonderful, fantastic treatment to me.

I am very luck to have met president LEE, Dr. PARK, Dr. TSANG, James, Dr Myuny-Joon KIM and other doctors, nurses in Wooridul Spine Hospital.

Thank you very much for my treatment on behalf of my family and professor Shangli LIU. BEST WISHES! Sincerely,

Bo YANG, a fellow from ChinaApril 16, 2003