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Small pads called discs sit between the bones in your back. These discs hold your bones together, soak up shock, and let your spine bend and twist. The L5-S1 disc sits at the very bottom of your spine, joining your last moving back bone to your tailbone area. This disc carries more weight and more […]

Spinal fusion joins two or more vertebrae, so they heal into one solid unit. Surgeons may use screws, rods, cages, and other implants to stabilise the spine during healing. Lumbar fusion surgery remains an important treatment for many spinal conditions, especially when the spine is severely unstable, damaged, or deformed. However, fusion is not the […]

A small piece of disc can press on a nerve and can be life changing. This pressure often causes sciatica, sharp leg pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness that makes walking and sitting hard. Endoscopic microdiscectomy targets this exact problem. Surgeons remove only the small disc fragment pressing on your nerve, leaving the rest of your […]

Pain, numbness, or weakness in your legs can make simple activities harder. Standing for a few minutes, walking through a shop, or climbing stairs might become difficult. Lumbar stenosis is one possible cause. This condition narrows the space around the spinal cord or nerve roots. Changes in discs, facet joints, ligaments, or bone can contribute […]

Instead of a large open surgery, endoscopic spine surgery is a minimally invasive operation that treats a damaged disc through a small incision, using a thin camera called an endoscope, along with small instruments.  In modern medical science, endoscopic technology has advanced to the point where practitioners can now access, visualize, and treat many spine […]

If you are suffering from spinal arthritis or injury to the small facet joints in your lower back, you may be a candidate for facet joint replacement in Germany.  Over time, prolonged spinal damage can cause chronic back pain, stiffness, and nerve compression that doesn’t improve with physical therapy or injections. Germany is often noted […]

You have lived with back or neck pain for months, maybe years. A doctor said the word “fusion.” Now you have questions. What does spinal fusion surgery involve? Will the surgery work? What do you give up? Let our experts answer each question, so you know what to expect before you decide. People are also […]

Neck pain from a damaged disc can greatly affect your quality of life. Nerve pain can radiate down your arm, creating sharp shooting sensations, numbness, and hand weakness. Arm pain and numbness often make simple tasks like driving, working on a computer, or turning your head become difficult. In cases like this, cervical disc replacement […]

After ten years helping patients plan medical treatment abroad, I’ve seen the same motivations come up repeatedly: long waiting lists at home, high out-of-pocket costs, insufficient insurance, and limited access to newer techniques. That’s why many patients now look to Thailand. More than 4 million medical travellers visit each year, and for spine surgery the […]

[Last Updated: 17 September, 2026] Patients naturally ask: Has someone like me done this before? What was their experience and outcome? On this page, you will find a regularly updated collection of genuine patient stories from individuals who travelled to Germany for specialist spine surgery with Dr. Thomas Bierstedt, Dr. Bernd Illerhaus, and Dr. Guido […]