Münchner tells: This is how I got back on my feet after my back surgery

Created: 11/28/2022, 1:37 p.m

By: Andreas Beez

Back patient Paul Gratzl (79) has finally recovered from the consequences of his spinal surgery thanks to a special treatment.

© Clinic

Back patient Paul Gratzl (right) talks to his doctor, the Munich spine specialist Dr.

Reinhard Schneiderhan.

© Clinic

For many back patients, the suffering continues even after an operation.

Paul Gratzl can tell you a thing or two about that.

Born in Munich and living in Planegg, it took a long time to get back on his feet after the operation on his spine.

Ultimately benefited from treatment with the spinal catheter.

Here he describes his experience - and the orthopaedist Dr.

Reinhard Schneiderhan explains how the therapy works.

After spinal surgery: Scar tissue can cause discomfort

In Germany, hundreds of thousands of back patients end up under the knife every year.

However, the operation does not always bring the desired result – on the contrary.

Sometimes those affected suffer even more after the procedure because they have to deal with pain from scar tissue in addition to their original symptoms.

In many cases, such previously operated patients can be helped by a minimally invasive treatment method with a spinal catheter.

My pain has decreased by 90 percent.

Paul Gratzl, back patient from Planegg near Munich

"It makes me feel a lot better.

My pain has decreased by about 90 percent.

Now, apart from a few initial difficulties right after getting up in the morning, I'm doing well,” reports Paul Gratzl (79).

The native of Munich, who now lives in Planegg, has had a long period of suffering.

He has been plagued by back pain for decades, triggered among other things by a narrowing of the spinal canal – known in technical terms as spinal canal stenosis.

There were also several herniated discs.

A slipped vertebra was later diagnosed.

"I was in constant pain and had severe restrictions on my mobility, especially when walking," recalls the graphic designer, who used to work for the youth magazine "Bravo".

In 2012 he agreed to a so-called stiffening operation.

His spine was stabilized with six screws.

However, the patient was not able to get his complaints under control.

Gratzl went to several doctors and had himself injected with painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, among other things.

"But that didn't make it much better."

An acquaintance gave him the tip to consult the back expert Dr.

Reinhard Schneiderhan about spinal catheter therapy.

The head of the practice clinic of the same name in Taufkirchen is one of the most experienced specialists in this method, having already treated more than 15,000 patients with it.

Spinal catheter: How the therapy works

The spinal catheter is a thin, flexible plastic tube that is stabilized by a special high-tech spiral spring.

So he is controllable.

It is inserted into the spinal canal through a natural opening in the sacrum in the lower back.

On a monitor, the doctor can see exactly where he is with the catheter.

This is ensured by a special X-ray machine called an image converter.

“With skillful maneuvering, the tube can be advanced to the narrow point in the spinal canal.

Thanks to the special development of this catheter, adhesions and scarring can be eliminated,” explains Dr.

Schneiderhan.

In addition, the doctor initiates a drug cocktail.

When the thin catheter is in place, it is sutured with a skin thread to prevent it from slipping.

Patient tells: Improvement already in the hospital, effect continues

Paul Gratzl also stayed in the clinic for three days.

"It was amazing: I already felt an improvement in the hospital, almost felt like a new person," recalls the 79-year-old.

“And even today, a few months later, the effect is still there.

This gives me a lot of quality of life and I'm already looking forward to traveling again.

Next up is a vacation in Asia.” To keep fit at home in everyday life, the sprightly pensioner goes to the gym three times a week, among other things.

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International long-term study confirms the effectiveness of the method

While Gratzl got back on his feet immediately, other previously operated patients sometimes need a little more patience after the catheter treatment.

"In the case of chronic pain, it can take four to eight weeks for the full effect to take hold," says Schneiderhan.

Nevertheless, the method is highly effective, according to the spine specialist.

He sees himself confirmed by a large international long-term study that was published by the University of Kiel this year.

"It shows impressively that catheter therapy for chronic back pain with nerve root involvement has the greatest chance of success - ahead of all other treatments such as conservative therapies and open surgery."