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Maybe you are one of the numerous worldwide patients who are at the end of the rope, despite several conservative treatments, injections and several painkillers. Sometimes you already had a (microscopic) previous spinal surgery, without preserving positive effect. Still there is a poor quality of live, because of impairments and pain-killer dependency. Quality of live could be so poor that you are considering spinal surgery because of one or more pathologic findings on the films, Maybe you are not a firm believer in the mostly offered so-called "fusion" of the cervical or lumbar spine. Maybe you already visited several doctors to hear their final conclusion: "you have just to live with it."
In the case of such a medical history, we have to go back to basics:
First of all you need a perfect diagnosis.
Since 1989 Drs. Willem Zeegers has over 20 years of worldwide experience with Artificial Disc Implantations (ADR). Because of experience and evolutionary improvements of implants, overall success rate is more than 87%.
In the past he has been confronted with so many pitfalls in diagnostic presentations that in 2000 he and the neurologist dr. Baumbach founded a close partnership with their International Neurological Orthopaedic Services (I.N.O.S.). Drs. Willem Zeegers and Dr. Baumbach are firm believers that in chronic resistant spinal problems, before making any recommendation to do surgery, first of all a specialized searching neurological evaluation is mandatory, even if the patient already visited a neurologist at home. Dr. Baumbach has not a big confidence in the efficacy of all those fancy electronic equipments. He is looking at you as an exceptional individual and he needs an accurate patient-doctors interview about your medical history. This in combination with clear neurological thinking and profound physical examination of your nerves and muscles. Previous consulted doctors could have been focused on the local area only, but the source of the problem could be elsewhere. Even when the patient and doctor never didn't realize yet. Also an interference with other neurological diseases is possible. For example it is not rare that the cervical pathology is causing lumbar pain combined with problems in walking and micturition.
Dr. Baumbach is specialized in peripheral and spinal neurology, he interviewed thousands surgical candidates for spinal surgery. The patient should not be surprised that the neurological evaluation could sometimes take several hours. His investigation is non-biassed, he will not get insight in your films and in most of your former reports, before he has made his own conclusions. Afterwards there will be a discussion between Drs.Zeegers and Dr.Baumbach. That is the first time Drs. Zeegers will inform Dr. Baumbach about the findings of your films. Sometimes an extra pain test is necessary. To make the right recommendation, and after all things have been considered, Drs. Zeegers will discuss if it is possible to offer a successful treatment with a significant success rate in relation to complications and alternatives.
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