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FK UNPRI HOLDS SEMINAR ON LOW BACK PAIN & INTERVENTIONAL PAIN MANAGEMENT

Many Back Pain Patients Do Not Want to Undergo Invasive Open Surgery

Rector of Unpri, Prof. dr. Djakobus Tarigan, AAI, DAAK, accompanied by Dean of FK Unpri, dr. H. Yulitas Bachtiar, Sp.A., and Head of Medical Education Unit Unpri, dr. Ali Napiah Nasution, taking a photo together with dr. Bernard Lee, Director of Chronic and Interventional Pain Management Services Specialist Pain Consultant (FPM ANZCA, Australia), Consultant Anesthesia Expert (MMed, Anaes, Singapore) and dr. Otman Siregar, Sp.OT., Chairman of the Indonesian Orthopedic Surgeons Association / PABOI Medan branch, after the Low Back Pain & Interventional Pain Management Seminar, at Royal Prima Hospital, Jalan Ayahanda, Medan.

Many patients with back pain do not want to undergo invasive open surgery, because they feel unfounded fear.

This was expressed by the Director of Chronic and Interventional Pain, Specialist Pain Consultant Service Management (FPM ANZCA, Australia), Consultant Anesthesia Expert (MMed, Anaes, Singapore) dr. Bernard Lee, M.K., at the "Low Back Pain & Interventional Pain Management" Seminar held by the Faculty of Medicine (FK) Universitas Prima Indonesia (Unpri) at Royal Prima Hospital, Jalan Ayahanda, Medan, Saturday, June 28, 2014.

The event was attended by the Patron of the Prima Indonesia Higher Education Foundation, dr. I Nyoman Ehrich Lister, M.Kes., AIFM, Head of Unpri Daily Executive Board, Dr. Tommy Leonard, S.H., M.Kn., Unpri Advisor, dr. Sofian Wijaya, M.H.A., Unpri Chancellor, Prof. dr. Djakobus Tarigan, AAI, DAAK, Unpri Vice Chancellor I, Prof. Dr. drg. Monang Panjaitan, M.S., M.A., Unpri Vice Chancellor II, Ermi Girsang, SKM, M.Kes., Dean of the Faculty of Medicine (FK) Unpri, dr. H. Yulitas Bachtiar, Sp.A., Head of the Medical Education Unit (MEU), dr. Ali Napiah Nasution, Sudjono Tanama, QWP, FK Unpri partners from AIA Financial, as well as lecturers and invitees.

"Many patients will choose to live with the condition or seek alternative treatments such as chiropractors, TCM massage, acupuncture, and even osteopathy," said Dr. Bernard Lee, M.K.

Bernard said that over the past few decades, a number of nonsurgical or minimally invasive surgical interventions have been introduced in an attempt to manage patients who have failed conservative therapy, without having to undergo major surgery. Procedures have been developed for the treatment of radiculopathy, spinal stenosis, facet arthropathy, discogenic pain and iliac sacral pain.

According to Dr. Bernard, the primary care physician caring for a patient with back pain has a difficult task. He or she must decide whether the back pain is a serious condition that requires immediate attention or whether to use conservative measures such as analgesics to treat the back pain. Another consideration is whether to refer the patient to an orthopedic surgeon, neurosurgeon, or pain specialist.

Dr. Bernard said that

"Patients in pain relief, they often look for a simple treatment, maybe it's by taking a pill (medicine) or intervention to relieve their pain. They look for a cure rather than management of their chronic pain. While most of them are single treatments, some of these interventions may require repeated applications to achieve the effect of relieving pain over time," he explained again.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Indonesian Orthopedic Surgeons Association (PABOI) Medan branch, dr. Otman Siregar, Sp.OT., in the seminar delivered about Low Back Pain or lower back pain.

dr. Otman Siregar explained that low back pain is a feeling of pain, aches, and stiffness that occurs in the lower back area. Lower back pain is not a diagnosis but only a symptom due to very diverse causes.

He also said, back pain sufferers do not need to seek treatment abroad because in the country itself there is adequate treatment available at affordable prices.