Thread: Back op in Thailand.

I just had a call from my oldest son in OZ (40) He asked me if I knew of anywhere in Thailand there are good doctors for back operations , he has a bulging disc and is waiting for workers comp to give him a payout so he can have it repaired, and he thought maybe he would get it done here and come and see me at the same time. Has anyone got any recomendations, or would he be better getting it done at home.

The hot springs around Ranong do wonders for my back, I've got some really chronic problems..

There are excellent surgeons here. When I broke my back a few years ago in Phuket the brought a specialist down from BKK. It was 5 hour opp to screw me back together.
Took a lot soaking at the hot springs to sort it all out.

Might sound a little strange but consider Ubon Ratchathani (but only using the neurosurgeon Dr Darmon)

A little drawn out but have a read of this old thread of mine.

https://teakdoor.com/health-fitness-a...lp-needed.html (Sciatica help needed.)

Have a look at this.

If it’s surgery you need, consider Thailand. The Neurology and Neurosurgery Center of Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok provides the full array of diagnostic, therapeutics, surgical, and rehabilitation services for comprehensive treatment and management of neurological disorders, including spine surgery.
At the Bangkok Neuroscience Center of Bangkok Hospital Medical Center, 12 neurologists and 14 neurosurgeons treat a host of diseases and traumas, including brain and spinal cord injury; tumors of the brain and spinal cord; muscle and nerve diseases; paresthesia of the limbs, trunk, or face; developmental disorders; and genetic anomalies.
At Bangkok Nursing Home (BNH) Hospital, the BNH Spine Center performs complex spinal surgeries of great variety, nearly half of them for international patients. The center’s total artificial disc replacement is a minimally invasive surgery.

You really need a good reference like this ^. Quality of work varies a lot in Thailand.
I was impressed by the dental work I had done there, a visit to a dermatologist and also a hospital where I had a mole removed so meticulously that there is virtually no scar.

Thank you everyone , I shall pass on all this info and let him decide what route to take.

My trip to Bangkok Nursing Home situated in Soi Convent on Silom Road for my spine problem was well worth it.

No surgery, just traction and physical therapy over the course of a month corrected my vertebra fracture problem and I have been good now for the last 12 years.
?????????????????? 116th BNH Hospital (Heritage of Good Health)

I badly bulged L4 years ago while living in LOS. I brought it back through exercise, a chiro, and a lot of painful hard work; it took a year before I was back in the gym and on the weights again. It's still fine.

Avoid surgery if at all possible!

Originally Posted by Latindancer

You really need a good reference like this ^

That is not a reference. It is an advert posted by a bumpkin. (Bumingrad does have an excellent rep).

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

My trip to Bangkok Nursing Home situated in Soi Convent on Silom Road for my spine problem was well worth it. No surgery, just traction and physical therapy over the course of a month corrected my vertebra fracture problem and I have been good now for the last 12 years. ?????????????????? 116th BNH Hospital (Heritage of Good Health)

Now that is a proper reference.

stalking stalking

Best Orthopedic and Spine Surgeons, Low Cost | Patients Beyond Borders

Be a good boy and stay on topic.

The guy wants info, so his son can see whats available.

Originally Posted by Ozcol

He asked me if I knew of anywhere in Thailand there are good doctors for back operations , he has a bulging disc and is waiting for workers comp to give him a payout so he can have it repaired

How bad is it ? maybe he just needs physio ?

Bulging Disc Treatment
Most minor and moderately bulging disc injuries are treated conservatively without the need for surgery. In order to allow the torn fibres of the annulus to heal and the disc bulge to resolve fully, your bulging disc treatment is centred on encouraging the fluid to return and remain in the centre of the disc. This keeps the torn fibres closer to one another and the structure of the annulus as normal as possible.

Your physiotherapist will advise you on the best positions to stay in and may tape or brace your spine. They’ll also explain to you the postures to avoid, which can be detrimental to your recovery.

By maintain the disc fluid in the central position that you intend it to stay, you are helping Mother Nature to lay down its scar tissue optimally for an excellent long-term solution. Please remember that scar tissue formation will take at least six weeks, so the longer that you avoid aggravating postures the better!

Bulging Disc

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

Avoid surgery if at all possible!

......

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

Bangkok Nursing Home situated in Soi Convent on Silom Road

Good place. Have your son check them out.

Originally Posted by Yasojack

Be a good boy and stay on topic. The guy wants info, so his son can see whats available.

He wants reliable info from respected sources or first hand experience. You are incapable of providing any of these things.
Wait for the post on special needs, then you can comment.

In regards to legitimate problem or not , my son worked 6 odd months as a cane train driver and the rest of the year operating excavators , he regularly earned $ 100,000 per year plus, for the lat 18 months he has not been able to work and trying to get some satisfaction from workers comp or whatever they call themselves now,they are going to cut off his compo and give him a payout ,so they can be rid of the problem , he has been waiting 12 months now for an op on the public healthsystem and looks like another 6 months till they can fit him in ,that is why when he gets paid out he wants to try over here ,at least he will be treated straight away.
Thanks everyone for your positive answers and as stated before will forward all recomendations and let him search the interweb for the best option .

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

I badly bulged L4 years ago while living in LOS. I brought it back through exercise, a chiro, and a lot of painful hard work; it took a year before I was back in the gym and on the weights again. It's still fine.
Avoid surgery if at all possible!

The human body is an amazing machine and is usually capable of repairing itself over time (except in the case of severe catastrophic damage).

Surgery is, and always should be, the Last Resort. Only after all else fails and the condition being treated is causing serious quality-of-life issues. Quality-of-life issues serious enough to warrant risking the worst possible undesired side effect of a surgery on the spine - paralysis.

Concerning spinal surgery, tell your son to tread very cautiously - second and third opinions after the exhaustion of all other "simpler" non-invasive approaches.

Good luck to him in resolving this medical issue.

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

I badly bulged L4 years ago while living in LOS. I brought it back through exercise, a chiro, and a lot of painful hard work; it took a year before I was back in the gym and on the weights again. It's still fine.

Avoid surgery if at all possible!

Old thread, but I have to agree with you Davis. I suffered a pretty bad back injury while playing rugby when I was 25. The major symptoms did not appear until I was in my late 30s and that is when my physical activities slowed down and I learned how to pick things up and bend my back. If I varied from this, I would suffer debilitating back pain for a week or two. I have two bulging discs and have refused surgery many times. I figure as long as I can walk, no need.

As I get older, the back pain prevents me from doing more and more activities. I would probably benefit from Davis' approach now and would need to find a good physical therapy program. Living in the NE makes this a bit difficult unless I rent an apartment in BKK, which is a possibility.

Davis, could you give me more details on how you were able to get your back functional again? How old were you when you did this and have you had any relapses?

^I was 44 or 45 at the time. I got up each morning, wife helped me with stretching exercises and then to shower and dress, and then I went to work.

After work, I would change and wife and I would go out and walk. At the start, I could make ten meters or so, then would have to lean on something to wait for the pain to lessen, and then I'd do ten more, and keep doing it until I couldn't any more.

Increased the distance and time as often as my body would stand it. By the end of two months, I could make it 100 meters. By the end of nine months, I could make a mile.

I also was going to a chiro twice a week who was manipulating my spine. Can't tell you exactly what he was doing, but it helped. Eventually went to light weights in addition to chiro and stretching/walking.

At the one year mark, I quit the chiro. I kept the stretching, walking, weights and wife.

Within another six months or so, I was back on a full gym weight schedule, although it took a while to get my numbers back to pre-bulge levels.

I took no meds. I have had no further significant back problems.

Wow, great success story. It is good to hear someone came back from such a bad back situation. So you pretty much did it by walking and increasing the distance over time. I would not need to see a doctor in BBK to follow your regimen.

I have always resisted going to chiropractors. They can help by realigning your back, but after a short period of time your back muscles will pull the alignment back to the orinial position. It gives short term relief, but once you start, you will have to keep going to realign your back. It sounds like you may have strengthened your back muscles through exercise. This is a more lasting cure and you do not have to keep paying a chiropractor.

To achieve this without meds is also amazing. Currently, I take medication for my back on a daily basis. Doctors have told me I need surgery, but they can not guarantee it will solve the problem. I have seen too many patients in the hospital who wind up worse off after back surgery.

Thanks for the information and I guess I need to start walking and increasing the distance as tolerated.

I tried to give you a green, but the site said I need to spread the love first.

^I was in Bangkok at the time. Stretching, weights and walking...but the chiro did help.

I resisted meds as I didn't want to mask the pain.

It was no fun at all, but eventually it came back.

Best of luck with it - it's the most debilitating injury in the world.

Yes it is, and I appreciate your help.