Outcome of Spine Surgery in Bangkok

Описание: About four months ago I made a video describing the micro-discectomy I had at Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok. I promised a follow-up with the outcome. I’m happy to report that my recovery was 100% and I am back to normal exercise levels.

I had a bulging disk between the L3 and L4 vertebrae. The surgeon made a single very small incision in my back and did the procedure arthroscopically. I had very little pain at the site of the surgery and the sciatic pain in my left leg was reduced by about 80%. However, for two months I continued to have some sciatic pain, sometimes in the left calf area and sometimes in the hip area. That resolved completely after 3 months.

During the healing period I did long daily walks in the pool of my condo. Walking in the pool allowed me to exercise my legs without putting pressure on my spine. Then I would soak in the hot tub. I think this type of exercise helped a lot.

If you have sciatic pain from a bulging disk, I recommend this procedure. It is effective about 90% of the time. Sometimes these bulges will resolve without surgery, but it can take many months and recovery may not be complete.
I’ve had three incidents of a bulging disk. The first happened about 20 years ago. I had a disk suddenly herniate (not just bulge, but actually leak fluid). I could have done surgery then, but decided to just let it heal. This is a reasonable option when the disk actually herniates, releasing fluid. The recovery took nearly a year and was painful, although it was complete. If I had to do it over again, I would have done a discectomy.

The second was not just a bulging disk at L4-5, but a misalignment of the vertebrae. For this I had a spinal fusion. I made a full recovery in about 6 months. In this case, it is not an option to just let it heal.

The third was this recent disk bulge, for which I had the micro-discectomy.

So, if you have a disc bulge, I recommend doing this procedure. It has a high success rate and there’s a good chance of healing quickly and completely if you are careful after the surgery.

My surgery was done by Dr. Pritsanai Pruttikul. I highly recommend him and Bumrungrad hospital.