All you need to know about Cervical Spine Surgery

Cervical spine is composed of seven vital bones which are referred to as ‘spinal vertebrae’. They are separated and held together by ligaments known as ‘discs’.  These discs are stuffed with a soft gel-like substance that protects and cushions our neck. They provide range of motion to neck and keep it flexible. Any instability that results in neck or back pain is said to be a cervical spine disorder. Prevalence of cervical spine disorders in adults is increasing day-by-day. Majority of working professionals experience cervical problems like neck and radiating arm pain at some point. According to latest health survey, cervical problem affects two-third of the worldwide population. Spine or neurosurgeons usually treat the symptoms with medications and physical therapy. However, if these treatment options fail to alleviate the pain, then cervical spine surgery may prove favorable.

Are You a Candidate for Cervical Spine Surgery?

Not all patients with spinal conditions are suitable candidates for cervical spine surgery. Enlisted below are some conditions that makes you a suitable candidate for the surgery:

• Chronic Back and Neck Pain - When patients are experiencing severe back and neck pain from a prolonged period of time.
• Failed Conservative Treatments - Patients who have tried conservative treatment methods like medications and physical therapy and did not achieve pain relief.
• Poor Quality of Life - When neck or back pain has become a hurdle in living a normal life.
  
  Patients with the following conditions may not be suitable candidates for the surgery:
  
  
• Severe Infection - Patients who are suffering from severe infection are not usually considered to be suitable for undergoing cervical spine surgery.
• Underlying Medical Conditions - Patients suffering from dreadful diseases like cancer, cardiovascular problems and liver problems are required to undergo a complete medical checkup first. These illnesses may create complications during surgery. Therefore, patients should discuss these problems with spine surgeons in the beginning.

Surgical Options for Cervical Spine Disorders

The enumerated points elaborate the most common and highly effective cervical spine surgery procedures.

• Artificial Cervical Disc Replacement - Also known as ‘total disc arthroplasty’, artificial cervical disc replacement is a surgical intervention used to replace the damaged cervical disc with an artificial disc for restoring range of movement of cervical vertebrae. It prominently treats the harsh neck and arm pain that has not responded to conservative methods.
• Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion - This procedure involves removing impaired cervical disc and fusing spinal vertebrae for preserving stability and relieving agonizing pain. It alleviates pain in nerve roots and aligns the spine properly.

Depending on patient’s medical history and overall health status, neurosurgeons will decide a suitable surgery.

Risks and Complications Associated with Cervical Spine Surgery

As with any type of procedure, there are certain risks and complications involved with cervical spine surgery. Some of the most commonly observed complications following a cervical spine procedure are explained below.

• Heavy Bleeding
• Severe infection
• Neck pain
• Fever or headache
• Tingling sensation in neck
• Damage to esophagus or vocal cords
• Adverse reaction to anesthesia
• Damage to spinal cord and nerves
• Blood clots
• Poor wound healing

Patients should reach out for a prompt medical treatment if they experience these issues. These complications can be handled smoothly under the guidance of an experienced surgeon.

Major Benefits of Cervical Spine Surgery

Cervical spine surgery may help patients to get rid of neck and back pain completely. In addition to this, it provides the following benefits:

• Proper alignment of spine
• Significantly improved chronic neck and back pain
• Stabilizes spine
• Faster recovery
• Enhances mobility of spine

Cervical spine surgery cost in western countries like Australia and United Kingdom is extremely high. Whereas, patients can avail highly reliable spine surgery in India at economical prices. India offers finest spine surgeries and treatments to international patients at just a fraction of total amount which other developed nations may charge.

Read More

New Visa Rules Can Boost Medical Tourism in India

A new visa policy has been introduced with an aim to boost medical tourism in India. This will attract medical tourists from all parts of the world. It will also bring in business professionals who often attend business meetings and conferences, for shooting documentaries, for medical treatments in India, for travel enthusiasts and people who enjoy exploring vividness of Indian culture and traditions. This new visa policy being highly liberalized includes several advantages like the following.

• Long-term multiple- entry comprehensive visa which combines business, conference, medical and tourist visas. This will make entry of foreigners for business, tourism and medical purposes easier, further stimulating economic growth, increase in earnings from medical tourism and tourism in general.
• In case of medical emergencies, medical visas can be granted within 48 hours after submission of application.
• Help desks and immigration counters will be available to help medical tourists.
• Unlike e-tourist visas which are now known as e-visa will have validity of 60 days. Foreigners should apply for it four months ahead of their visit to India.
• Good news is that, this new visa policy has been extended to 150 countries at 16 Indian airports for availability of e-tourist visa services. On an average, e-tourist visas for 3,500 foreigners are being granted on a daily basis.

Medical tourism in India is estimated at 3 billion USD and is expected to grow up to $7 - 8 billion by 2020, according to one of the reports of PTI (Press Trust of India). This new visa policy is expected to stimulate economic growth and increase earnings from medical tourism as well as travel and tourism in general. Though it is a liberalized visa policy, Security is particularly strict this time as foreign visitors must give biometric details and also fulfill certain security related obligations. All these are mandatory in order to ensure legal security.

How Travcure Medical Tourism Consultants Can Help Obtaining Medical Visas?

Travcure medical tourism takes care of every patient’s medical needs. Right from the beginning, medical visa assistance is readily available. In addition to that, they also provide personalized care and price sensitive medical treatment packages. Patients seeking multiple medical opinions can also rely on this companies. Free consultation is also within the reach of international patients. With the boom in communication, Travcure Healthcare Consultants are just a phone call away. Do give them a call and avail all requisite guidance through the best healthcare service provider.

In case of queries, you can send an E-mail at: info@travcure.com

Or, Call/Whatsapp at: +91-8600044116 

Read More

National "Wear Red” Day: Women's Unique Risk Factors of Heart Diseases

First Friday of February month marks National Wear Red Day every year. This year it will be observed across the world on February 3, 2017. People wear red clothes for spreading awareness about women heart health. According to latest health statistics, one in every 3 women dies of cardiovascular diseases. Main aim of National Wear Red Day is to raise awareness about increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in women & encouraging everyone to follow a healthy lifestyle. Approximately 70 % of the heart strokes can be prevented by taking appropriate measures.

Heart Disease Risk Factors

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women of all ages. It is important for every woman to take care of their heart. Conventional risk factors associated with heart disease in women include hypertension, high cholesterol & obesity. However, there are some other risk factors which may also contribute to development of heart disease in women. They can be described as follows.

• Pregnancy - Women with pre-existing health conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure are at a greater risk of developing heart diseases. Some studies reveal that ratio of mothers with cardiovascular diseases has increased due to these medical conditions.
• Birth Control Pills - It has been found that birth control pills are responsible for raising blood pressure in women. Women should consult a doctor prior to taking any kind of medication. Also, the estrogen level in birth control pills may result in blood clotting which ultimately could lead to stroke.
• Hormone Replacement Therapy - Hormone replacement therapy is a medical practice which is performed for alleviating hot flashes & other menopause symptoms in women after delivery. Risk of developing heart disease due to hormone replacement procedure depends on several factors like healthcare history & lifestyle of patient.
• Menopause - Risk of developing cardiovascular diseases increase as one age. Menopause usually occurs around the age of 50 in majority of women. The expression ‘menopause’ signifies the phase in women’s life when her reproductive period ends & she stops menstruating completely. Estrogen level in women declines dramatically post-menopause. It is a major reason for development of heart disease in middle-aged women.

If women observe any heart-related warning signs, they should consult a cardiovascular surgeon for seeking prompt heart disease treatment.

Measures for Minimizing the Risk of Heart Diseases in Women

Women should regularly get their cholesterol levels checked by doctors. Making appropriate changes in lifestyle can significantly reduce the risk of heart diseases. Women should follow the following set of guidelines for living a healthy life.

• Body Weight - Obesity is known to be a major risk factor for developing cardiac diseases. Women should maintain a healthy body weight to avoid heart diseases.
• Regularly Exercise - Daily exercising habit can save women from a lot of heart-related troubles. It has been proven that women who regularly exercise are at a lower risk of acquiring heart disease.
• Quit smoking - Excessive smoking is also responsible for the occurrence of stroke. Women should discontinue the habit of smoking.
• Medications - Women must take appropriate medications as prescribed by doctors.

In addition to this, women should incorporate a healthy diet containing less amount of salt & sugar. They should eat low-fat foods, whole grains, fruits & fresh vegetables. These simple yet powerful changes in lifestyle will ensure a healthy heart condition.

Read More