Intervertebral disc surgery on gentle cycle:
Munich doctor makes Skistar fit

The well-known English free skier Thomas S. took a trip to Munich last week. The reason for this was not a short vacation or a show, but an endoscopic disc operation by Dr. Michael Schubert from the Munich Apex Spine Center.

The diagnosis “Large herniated lumbar disc” – i.e. an incident in the lumbar spine – is doubly dramatic for a professional athlete like Thomas S. (39): not only activities in private life, but also the practice of his job can be significantly impaired.

The internationally sought-after ski instructor and one of the best professional off-piste skiers therefore traveled to the Apex Spine Center in Munich the day before his birthday to get under the knife of Dr. to lay Michael Schubert. He successfully operated on the ski star in local anesthesia with twilight sleep through an endoscopic disc herniation removal - endoscopic disc surgery. After just one night in the hospital, Smith was able to return home on his birthday. The professional athlete has to wear a supporting corset for two weeks, in six weeks he can be back on the slopes.

Thomas S. put his health in the experienced hands of Dr. Schubert, who performs the most gentle disc surgery in the world at the Munich Apex Spine Center - without general anesthesia. "Thanks to this unique surgical method, a herniated disc in the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine can be repaired more gently and with less risk than ever before," says spinal surgeon Dr. Michael Schubert. Instead of an open procedure with an incision five to eight centimeters long, a minimal incision for a 6.5 millimeter thick working tube is sufficient with the new procedure. The slipped part of the intervertebral disc is removed within 30 to 45 minutes with mini instruments. The spine specialist developed the necessary surgical microtools himself.

Thomas S. is not the only well-known professional athlete who has been inspired by Dr. Schubert had it treated in this way. The German rowing world champion Matthias Schömann-Finck also suffered a severe herniated disc in the last disc level in 2010. Every conventional method failed, rehab didn't help - until he sat down on the operating table of Dr. Schubert laid. The athlete showed how fit he is again today with his teammates in the lightweight foursome at this year's World Rowing Championships in Bled, Slovenia. The team made it to the World Cup semifinals.

In almost 5000 patients, Dr. Michael Schubert has already successfully used this minimally invasive endoscopic disc surgery method. Since there is no complicated follow-up treatment, extended hospital stays and long downtimes in professional life, the costs of the treatment are also many times lower than with conventional disc operations.

Franziska Kremtz (Source: VitaFil)

Photo: Thomas S. (l.) just one day after the disc operation by Dr. Michael Schubert (right) leaving the Apex Spine Center in Munich. (Source: Thomas S., Apex Spine Center)