MICROSURGERY USED TO SHORTEN RECOVERY TIME

You wake up with a crick in your neck and as you try to turn your head, pain shoots down your arm and there's a tingling sensation in your fingers.

These may be symptoms of nothing more than a pulled muscle, but then again it could be a pinched nerve that will require surgery, said neurosurgeon Dr. Kee B. Park. Park will speak to local primary care physicians on recognizing the difference at a symposium on Advances in Diagnostics being held at St. Francis Medical Center today. Park will also touch on the advances in microsurgery to repair this problem with less pain and quicker recovery times.

A pinched nerve caused when a neck or back disc become herniated is a common problem most often caused when someone twists the wrong way while lifting a heavy object, Park said.

The bones of the spine are separated by discs, which act like tiny shock absorbers. The disc has a tough outer covering and a spongy interior. If an inordinate amount of pressure is put on one corner of the disc and there is a weak spot in the outer covering, the inner material will push through and can push against the nerves that run through the spine.

"Just a crick in the neck is probably no more than a pulled muscle," Park said. "But if you have tingling or numbness, you're probably looking at something neurological and need to see a specialist."

That tingling or numbness is most likely to occur in the arms and fingers if the problem is with a disc in the neck, in the legs and feet if the problem is with a disc in the back.

Surgery is used to repair the disc. Like other areas of medicine, microsurgery is increasingly being used in neck and back surgery, Park said.

In most cases, Park repairs discs through an incision that's only about an inch long.

"We make the incision right over the disc and a retractor is used to keep the hole open," he said. The instruments he uses are attached at right angles to the handles he holds so his fingers are not in the wound, Park said.

Over the wound is a microscope with a bright light. "It magnifies the area so you can see everything," Park said.

He said the procedure takes about 1 1/2 hours.

Park said with microsurgery there is less pain, shorter operating time, less risk of infection and shorter recover time than with the larger incisions of traditional surgery.

"There are lots of advantages of minimally invasive surgeries," Park said.