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The Scourge of Back Pain –
Treatment Methods and Innovations
Fig. 1:
The ergonomic design of
the surgical microscope
allows the surgeon to work
in an extremely comfortable
position over longer
periods.
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Back pain is among the most common
health complaints in industrialized
countries. More than 30
million people in Germany alone
suffer from chronic or occasional
back pain – tense muscles in
the neck and shoulder regions,
pinched nerves or dislocated vertebra.
Over the long term, spinal pain
can considerably affect the quality
of life, and not just the elderly
suffer. Signs of wear on the spinal
column can already be seen from
the age of 30 and onwards. The
rise in the number of patients
with spinal pain and the simultaneous
cost pressures in healthcare
are leading to numerous innovations
in treatment methods.
Carl Zeiss recently discussed
this with Dr. H. Michael Mayer,
one of the leading spine surgeons
and medical director at the Orthozentrum
in Munich.
Dr. Mayer, what developments
and changes have you noticed in
recent years concerning spine
diseases?
The range of spine diseases has
changed so that now primarily older
people have to undergo surgery on
the spine. There are many different
types of disease that occur mainly in
old age, such as a narrowing of the
spinal canal, degenerative scoliosis
and constriction of the nerve canals.
Increasing life expectancy has resulted
in many more patients with symptoms
of wear on the spine who
require treatment and surgery than
in the past.
What is the significance of this
rise in the number of patients for
spinal surgery and what are the
consequences?
As a result of this development,
spinal surgery is becoming more and
more important, leading to a constant
increase in the surgical possibilities.
With new techniques, e. g. artificial
discs or minimally invasive surgery,
it is now possible to intervene
at a much earlier stage with innovative
methods that are designed to
preserve the mobility and dynamics
of the spine, particularly with symptoms
of wear.
Considering the cost pressures
facing the healthcare sector, what
opportunities and innovations are
particularly important from your
point of view?
Any procedure that is considered
minimally invasive is particularly important,
i. e. all microsurgical and endoscopic
procedures. In fact, we have
been using minimally invasive methods
in Germany for 15 years. However,
it was only after healthcare reform
that the positive effects had their full
impact. Patients are released earlier
from the hospital, i. e. the more gentle
the operation, the shorter the stay
and the faster the patient can be
rehabilitated.
What is required for minimally
invasive surgery?
There can be no minimally invasive
surgery without visualization systems.
Minimally invasive surgery is only
possible if optical aids are available,
e. g. a surgical microscope. Through
tiny incisions, these instruments pro-
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Innovation 15, Carl Zeiss AG, 2005