Endoscopy refers to inserting microscopic cameras into the body through tiny incisions which throw up pictures of the inside of the body onto a screen. Endoscopy has been used for diagnostic purposes since the 1970s. Endoscopy for surgery has become popular from the 1990s.

Endoscopic spine surgery is a state-of-the-art surgery technique which involves micro incisions and minute tubes that cause almost no damage to surrounding tissues and muscles. It is a minimally invasive surgery and it is also called a pinhole surgery.

What are the advantages of endoscopic pinhole spine surgery?

There are a lot of reasons why doctors opt for an endoscopic surgery-

  It is also called Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (MISS) because it causes little blood loss
  Recovery is almost immediate. A person can resume everyday activities within a week
  Very little pain around the surgery region so minimum pain medication is needed.
  No muscle or bone is removed.
  Since screws and rods are not used, full mobility of the spine can be restored
  The wounds are minute and do not usually require stitches and thus no ugly scars are left after the wounds heal.

What are the characteristics of an endoscopic spine surgery?

  The surgery is performed under local anaesthesia
  The person is discharged within 24 hours of the surgery
  The incisions that are made are microscopic

What are the different types of endoscopic surgery?

Endoscopic discectomy:
It is the least invasive of all spinal surgeries. It is used for treating herniated discs. Endoscopy reveals images of the spine. Through the same tunnel, surgery tools are inserted and the bulging or herniated disc is pulled out with a grasper. The wound does not always require stitches to close it.

Endoscopic Laminotomy:
This a substitute for open laminotomy. The camera helps locate exactly where the target area is. Then an incision is made below and above the lamina to relieve the pressure compressing the nerve.

Endoscopic facet rhizotomy:
With microscopic cameras, the nerves causing pain are identified and then the laser is used to numb these nerves which relieve pain. This type of surgery can also remedy a previously botched spinal surgery, facet joint arthritis or facet joint pain

Endoscopic foraminotomy:
This type of surgery again uses microscopic surgical tools guided by a tiny camera to enlarge a narrowed neuro of spinal nerve root canal to give it more room to move about without being compressed.

Endoscopic Spine Surgery & Pinhole Technique!

An orthopaedic fracture is a serious issue that will require lots of care for the bones to heal and re-join. A broken bone is usually plastered so that the tissue may grow back together by fusing eventually, over a period of weeks. When these bones begin to rebuild in an effort to come together, the new bones are called soft callus. This will require lots of energy, which primarily comes from calories. This ensures that essential proteins like amino acids can be taken from the right type of food which would stimulate good blood flow. 

So, let us take a look at the best diet that one can follow in order to recover from a fracture.

Kale: Leafy green vegetables and herbs like kale can help in supplying good amount of protein and iron as well as calcium, which is highly important for good and strong bones. One can also find plenty of calcium in salmon and other kinds of sea food like sardines; consuming these can speed up the process. Sea vegetables like seaweed can also help in the process.
Yogurt: Calcium can be supplied by various other kinds of food including yogurt, which has two kinds of amino acids. These amino acids are lysine and glutamine, which can assist the bones in swift calcium absorption for better recovery of the broken bones.
Spinach: This is a very important ingredient in the bone healing process thanks to its dual elements of calcium and zinc, which come together to cause the appropriate chemical reaction for bone rebuilding. Other zinc heavy food items include pumpkin seeds and wheat germ as well as red meat.
Broccoli: Ingredients like broccoli are rich in Vitamin K1, which is known to very good for the bone recovery process. This vitamin helps in mineralisation of the bone so that they may fuse with each other and form a new mass. One can have up to one cup of this green vegetable per day for a quick and effective fracture recovery process. Other ingredients like cheese and raw dairy products are known to have plenty of this vitamin as well.
Green Bell Peppers: High on vitamin C which helps in producing the skin and tissue structuring element called collagen, green bell peppers are an excellent ingredient that can help you in your fracture healing process. Vitamin C can also be found in citrus fruits like oranges, strawberries as well as tomatoes.
Milk: While milk has plenty of calcium, it also has another important ingredient called vitamin D. When calcium and vitamin D come together, the bones tend to heal much faster as vitamin D helps the bones in absorbing the calcium at a much high rate.

Recovering from Fracture - 6 Foods You Must Consume

Breaking a bone no matter how small is painful. This pain is caused both by the actual break in the bone and the damage to surrounding muscles, ligaments, nerves and other soft tissue. There are three stages of pain caused by a fracture:

Acute Pain: Pain that occurs immediately after a bone is fractured
Sub-Acute Pain: Pain experienced while the one and soft tissues heal
Chronic Pain: Pain experienced after the fracture has healed
Any kind of fracture can cause these types of pain. However, it is not essential for everyone who has had a fracture to experience all the three kinds of pain. Many people experience pain only when the fracture occurs but in few cases, a person may break a bone and not realize it. Each type of pain needs to be dealt with in a different way.

Acute Pain: Acute pain reduces as the fracture heals. For this, the fractured bone must be reset in place and held together with a splint, brace or cast so as to immobilize it. In some cases, surgery may also be needed. Over the counter pain medication is often prescribed to help deal with this type of pain. The patient is also advised to rest the broken bone and avoid certain types of movement that could worsen the break. A broken bone takes a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks to heal. However, in cases of other conditions such as osteoporosis, this time period could be much longer.
Sub-Acute Pain: As the injury heals, the sub-acute pain experienced reduces. Immobilizing a broken bone to help it heal causes the muscles and soft tissues around it to stiffen and weaken thus triggering this type of pain. Physical therapy can be very helpful in dealing with this type of pain. Along with strengthening the muscles and reducing stiffness, physical therapy also helps reduce inflammation and scar tissue. Physical therapy can be provided in many ways including exercises, electrical stimulation, ultrasounds, massage etc. It is important to remember that at this stage of treatment, the more the affected limb is used, the faster it will heal. However, it is advisable to avoid putting too much pressure on the bone.
Chronic Pain: Some people may experience pain for several months and even years after a fracture has healed. This is usually caused by nerve damage or the development of scar tissue. Underlying conditions such as arthritis could also trigger this type of pain. Management of chronic pain varies from individual to individual. Treatment usually takes the form of medication, exercises and physical therapy. It is important not to avoid this type of pain and consult a doctor to ensure that it is not being caused by any other condition.

Fracture Pain - How To Deal With It?

Spinal trauma, also referred to as spinal cord injury, occurs when a section of your spinal cord or the nerves at the edge of your spinal canal is damaged. The spinal cord acts as a messenger between the brain and other parts of your body. If the spine sustains an injury, all or some of these impulses may not get through. This may result in complete loss of mobility and sensation below the site of injury. An injury closer to the neck can cause paralysis throughout a larger part of the body than in the lower back region.

How do such injuries occur?

Often, spinal trauma or injury results from a violent event or an unpredictable accident. The following may severely damage your spinal cord-

  A violent attack (a gunshot or a stabbing)
  A motor vehicle accident that may cause trauma to the neck, back or head
  Falling from a great height
  Spinal or head injuries during some sports activity
  Electrical accidents

What are the signs of a spinal cord injury?

The followings signs and symptoms can be observed after an injury to the spinal cord-

  Difficulty walking
  Restricted movement of the legs and arms
  Stiffness, pressure and intense pain in the neck/back
  Loss of sensation
  Muscle spasms
  Loss of bowel or bladder control
  A twisted neck or back
  Lack of coordination, weakness or paralysis in any of the body part

When should you see a doctor?

If you experience significant trauma to the neck or head, accompanied by the above symptoms, then visit a doctor immediately. Spinal trauma or injuries is a debilitating condition and can deteriorate further if you do not seek medical intervention. In fact, if such an injury is not detected on time, you may have to face more severe complications. For instance, paralysis or numbness may develop immediately or gradually as blood clots and swelling occur in the surrounding region of the spine.

The doctor can detect spinal injuries using any of the following methods-

  CT Scan
  MRI
  X-ray

What is the treatment for spinal trauma?

An orthopaedic will recommend the correct treatment for spinal trauma or spinal cord injuries, depending on the severity of the condition.

  Medications - Intravenous medications can help reduce the pain and symptoms of acute spinal cord injury
  Immobilization - Braces, corsets, or neck collar can help realign and stabilize the spine
  Surgery - Surgery may be performed to remove bone fragments, herniated disks, foreign objects, or fractured vertebrae that are compressing the spine. Surgery also prevents deformity and pain in the long run.

Recovery starts typically within a week after the treatment. If you undergo surgery, you will have to wait a little longer to get back to your day-to-day activities. It is advisable that you follow up with your doctor and carry on physiotherapy for the first six months at least.

Spinal Trauma - When Should You Consult A Doctor?

A bone fracture is often abbreviated as FX or # and is a painful medical condition that causes damage in the continuity of the bone. A dictionary meaning of fracture is a separation of an object or a material into two or more pieces under the action of stress.


A bone fracture could be due to a high force impact or stress, an injury from trauma or sports or even certain medical conditions that weaken the bones, such as osteoporosis, bone cancer or osteogenesis imperfecta.


However, a significant number of fractures occur due to high force impact or stress. A fracture could be simple where the skin is not exposed or compound where skin gets exposed. A fracture could be complete where the bone breaks up in two pieces or could be incomplete with a crack in the bone.


Treatment of bone fracture depends on the type of fracture. In a large number of cases, the bone is aligned through a cast or splint. However, a very crucial part in the recovery of the treatment is physiotherapy. Physiotherapy is a comprehensive care plan designed for the patient for optimal and complete recovery. Yet most patients do not understand its effectiveness. In layman's terms physiotherapy is understood as few exercises or messages designed to aid the patient's treatment. However, Physiotherapy not only aids the recovery, it effectively promotes healing, reduces pain and stiffness and gradually helps the patient to return back to his/her normal daily activities of life.


Physiotherapy is a complete preventive and rehabilitative approach to treatment and must begin as early as possible and continue post fracture. Physiotherapy has been proven to be effective in preventing post fracture stiffness and weakness that occurs in adjacent joints and muscles generally during the first six weeks of the healing process. If the X-ray shows poor healing, physiotherapy is a medium used to help the patient regain muscle strength and speed up recovery.


Irregular movements can lead the bones to further damage the surrounding tissues and muscles. Damage may also lead to infection, especially in compound fractures where the skin is exposed. Thus, physiotherapy regulates the movements, supports healing and prevents further damage. Physiotherapy not only involves messages or exercises. It includes a range of interventions designed for prevention and rehabilitation of patients. These interventions include pain management, education and awareness on safety and prevention of injury, strength building and flexibility exercises and in some cases taping, bracing and electrotherapy.


To add to its benefits, physiotherapy procedures are also completely safe and are supported by medical science. These procedures also do not have any side effects. Always remember to consult your orthopedic doctor as he can guide you towards the best physiotherapy treatment.


Stay fit and healthy!"

Physiotherapy - Why it is Critical for Recovery from Fracture?

Disc prolapse   or what is popularly known as a herniated disc   occurs when the soft, rubbery tissues of the spinal discs push through a crack in the tougher exterior casing. It usually results from wear and tear of the spinal discs over time.

Risk Factors-
The following factors may put you at risk of a disc prolapse  
  Genetics   You may have a tendency towards developing a disc prolapse
  Occupation   People who are engaged in physically demanding jobs are more likely to develop back pain
  Weight   Excessive body weight puts pressure on the discs in the lower back

Signs to Watch Out for-
Signs and symptoms of disc prolapsed may include the following  
  Pain in the legs, particularly in the calf, thigh, and buttocks
  Pain in the arms and shoulder that intensify when you sneeze, cough, or even move your spine into certain positions
  Tingling or numbness in the affected areas
  Muscle weakness
  Inability to hold an object

If the pain deteriorates i.e. if the pain shoots down from your back or neck to the extremities, consult a doctor immediately.

Acupuncture for Disc Prolapse-
Although there are certain non-surgical and surgical treatment methods, many healthcare professionals and doctors nowadays recommend acupuncture as an alternative cure.

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese practice that believes that people possess  Chi  or an energy force. When the force is unbalanced or blocked, your body becomes susceptible to illness and pain. Traditional acupuncturists strive to free up these energy channels (known as meridians) by inserting needles into specific points in your body. It activates the release of endorphins in your blood, which acts as natural pain relievers and reduces pain.
The process involves inserting multiple needles, depending on your diagnosis. Most people do not feel pain when the needles are inserted. In fact, they feel relaxed or energized. The acupuncturist will leave the needles in for about 20-40 minutes   this may cause temporary soreness but do not pose serious complications.
Acupuncture can help relieve pain associated with bulging, herniated disc. If you are considering this option, you should visit a complementary and alternative medicine practitioner.

Disc Prolapse - Know How Acupunture Can Help!

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