The Spinal Column

Problems in the spinal column and pelvic area affect nearly everybody over the course of their life and are often the reason for chronic pain.

The special features of the spinal column include the pelvis and iliosacral joints (joints in the buttock area between the sacrum and the pelvis).

In “advanced” age, fractures in the region of the vertebrae or pelvis owing to osteoporosis become more frequent. Minimally invasive procedures can help to stabilize these fractures. In kyphoplasty, balloons are used to straighten the vertebrae then bone cement is injected, ideally restoring the spinal column to its original form. This is an important prophylactic measure to prevent further fractures. A welcome side effect of this is the clear reduction of debilitating pain. Fractures of the pelvic ring can mostly be stabilized with screws in a minimally invasive procedure so that the patients are rapidly mobile again; this reduces the complications of a long confinement to bed.

As before, surgical decompression may be considered for disc hernias or a constriction in the spinal canal. Stabilizations with implants may be required if there is an instability. If upright posture is lost, the spinal column can be brought back to shape using complex straightening procedures.

New minimally invasive methods are currently in use for various spinal column disorders. In some cases, pain fibers can also be severed endoscopically (using keyhole surgery), so that back pain can be addressed without the need for immobilization surgery and implants.  

Interventional pain therapy primarily makes use of infiltrations. 

Pain in the lower lateral pelvic area (buttock region) often originates in the iliosacral joint. We provide both the diagnosis and the infiltration therapy and, if required, stabilization of the joint using a minimal invasive procedure, combined with sclerotherapy (obliteration) of the pain fibers.