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What’s that pain in my back?

Master of Ceremonies Richard Silverberg welcomed everyone to the regular Sunday meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club on December 26 at Amari Resort’s Tavern by the Sea. After the usual opening announcements, he introduced Dr. Sompong Ratanarojpusit, M.D., Orthopedic Surgeon at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya (BHP), whose topic would be about spine problems in aging patients. Dr. Sompong received his medical degree from Chiang Mai University in 1986 and his specialty in orthopedic surgery from Pramongkutklao Army Hospital in 1994. He was a Visiting Spine Fellow at the Inje University Medical School in Korea in 2000 and at the University of Virginia in 2001.

Dr. Sompong Ratanarojpusit, M.D., Orthopedic Surgeon at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya (BHP), talks about spine problems in aging patients.

Dr. Sompong started by advising that BHP has recently opened their Spinal Clinic, which is staffed and equipped to handle all kinds of back problems and surgeries. He mentioned that the most common symptom of spinal problems is back pain, but back pain in and of itself does not mean you have spinal problems. He listed several types of spinal problems that can cause severe back pain, but noted they usually have other symptoms. These problems include herniated discs (ruptured discs), spondylosis (degenerative changes), spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal over several segments causing pressure on the nerves), slipped disc (disc bulges trapping a nerve), and osteoporosis vertebrae fracture (weak bones that can be easily fractured).

The other symptoms he mentioned are neck pain and numbness, pain radiating down the arms, or bowel or bladder dysfunction. Dr. Sompong, using several diagrams of the spine, explained how these various problems affect the spinal column. He said that the type and severity of the problem will determine the method of treatment and whether surgery may be required. He mentioned that osteoporosis is a bone disease that comes with aging and can lead to fractures of the vertebrae. Older people might find it advantageous to include in their physical checkups a diagnostic test that can identify osteoporosis.

In the past, Dr. Sompong said that treating vertebrae compression fractures usually meant months of taking medication while living with back pain. However, there are now two procedures that are minimally invasive and can relieve the pain almost immediately. One is vertebroplasty and the other is kyphohplasty. The first involves using image guidance to inject a special cement mixture through a hollow needle into the fractured bone. The other is the same except a balloon is inserted first through the needle into the fractured bone to create a cavity or space to control where the cement goes. These can be done on an outpatient basis.

Dr. Sompong said that surgery usually is required in cases of very severe pain or bowel/bladder dysfunction. One form of surgery is the laminectomy to remove the lamina, two small bones that make up a vertebra, or bone spurs. The procedure can take pressure off your spinal nerves or spinal column. Other surgical procedures can be diskectomy (disk removal), foraminotomy (widens the opening where nerve roots leave the spinal column), and spinal fusion (join together two vertebrae). He pointed out that some microscopic surgeries can be done at the BHP.

There were several questions from the audience, many asking about back pain that they had experienced. Dr. Sompong responded to most that their symptoms were not spinal problems; rather they were muscle strain that tend to go away on their own.

Richard Silverberg then updated everyone on upcoming events and called on “Hawaii” Bob Sutterfield to conduct the always informative and sometimes humorous Open Forum, where questions about living in Thailand and Pattaya in particular are asked and answered.



Haven Hotel brings in Santa for Ban Jing Jai orphans

Jolly Ol’ St. Nick hands out gifts to the excited Ban Jing Jai residents.

Phasakorn Channgam

Seventy-five children from the Ban Jing Jai orphanage enjoyed a Christmas with gifts from Santa Claus at the Haven Hotel, which donated 200,000 baht to the Pattaya shelter.

Money was raised from guests at the Soi 13 hotel, and golfers taking part in the annual Haven Invitational golf tournament. Most funds were raised through selling tickets for the exciting 50-50 draw.

Ban Jing Jai children were then taken shopping, with each given a budget within which they could purchase anything they desired. Most came within one baht of their allotted budget.

These toys and necessities were then wrapped in Christmas paper and presented to the children during a Boxing Day party at the Haven.

Other funds raised were used for food and drinks for the children during the party, and the support the Ban Jing Jai Foundation.

Jolly Ol’ St. Nick delighted the kids with handouts before they took a dip in the swimming pool and scooped up ice cream.
 


HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]

What’s that pain in my back?

Haven Hotel brings in Santa for Ban Jing Jai orphans

 

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