Spine Specialist Neustadt in Saxony: Dr Seifert

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Dr Jens Seifert is a traditionally trained specialist in orthopedics specializing in spinal surgery and is the head physician of the Spine Center at Asklepios Hohwald Specialist Clinic. He worked at the University Hospital Dresden for 25 years, including training and working in pediatric orthopedics, spinal surgery, endoprosthetics, septic surgery, and tumor orthopedics. As of 2007, he led interdisciplinary spine departments and founded the Spine Center at the Hohwald Orthopedic Clinic, east of Dresden, at the beginning of 2015. His team comprises 10 colleagues specializing in orthopedics/trauma surgery, neurosurgery, psychology, and pain treatment.

Dr Seifert's professional training included acquiring profound conservative and surgical knowledge of orthopedics, trauma surgery, and surgical procedures. He has trained colleagues in Germany since 2003 as part of a wide range of spinal surgery courses.

The interdisciplinary spine center at Asklepios Hohwald Specialist Clinic specializes in treating patients with diseases and changes to the spine and spinal surgery.

Medical Expertise in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Scoliosis in Children and Adolescents

Uneven growth of the individual vertebral bodies during growth can lead to curvature and torsion of the spine, known as scoliosis. If left untreated, such a deformity is not only a cosmetic problem due to the unesthetic shaping of the trunk. Still, it can also cause pain and lead to further developmental disorders of the lungs and heart.

It should, therefore, not be underestimated to diagnose developing scoliosis at an early stage and, depending on the size of the curvature angle, to initiate individually adapted treatment to control the growth.

In the case of mild curvatures, physiotherapeutic support for growth and strengthening of the supporting muscles is sufficient. For moderate curvatures, Dr Jens Seifert recommends a supportive, custom-made orthosis in addition to physiotherapy to achieve optimal correction of the direction of growth.

Surgical spine correction is indicated for severe curvature angles to avoid consequential damage and disruption of the child's healthy development. To this end, Dr Jens Seifert cooperates with experienced specialists, surgeons, and anesthetists from the nearby children's hospital.

Dr Seifert has been running scoliosis consultation hours for over 30 years to care for children and adolescent scoliosis patients. He works closely with orthopedic technicians with a high level of expertise in Dresden, Chemnitz, and Cottbus. He tries to make the most of conservative treatment for children and, together with the families, to find the right decision for or against surgery.

Spondylolisthesis of the Lumbar Spine (LS)

Spondylolisthesis of the lumbar spine is an orthopedic disorder in which one vertebral body slides forward in relation to the one below it. This can lead to back pain, nerve compression, and reduced mobility.

The initial diagnosis is made at the Hohwald Asklepios Clinic with the help of a powerful MRI scanner using an oblique image of the nerve exit holes. In mild cases, conservative treatment may be sufficient, such as physiotherapy to strengthen the back muscles and wearing a support orthosis. If the disease leads to neurological deficits or a pain situation can no longer be controlled conservatively, surgical spinal fusion can be considered to stabilize the slipped vertebrae.

Dr Jens Seifert selects the appropriate surgical procedure and approach in close consultation with the patient, depending on their requirements in terms of physical resilience.

Spine Surgery Neustadt in Saxony: State-of-the-art Treatment for Herniated Disks in the Lumbar or Cervical Spine

The triggers for herniated disks are usually of multifactorial nature. It is often a combination of age-related wear and tear, genetic predisposition, unfavorable posture, sitting activities, lack of exercise, and sudden overload or injury. If the protruding core of the intervertebral disk compresses a nerve root or the spinal cord itself, a wide range of symptoms appear depending on the vertebral segment affected.

The limbs are usually affected by pain, numbness, or signs of paralysis. Provided there are no significant neurological deficits, herniated disks can be treated well in many cases with conservative measures. The focus for Dr Jens Seifert is on a therapy concept that relies on a combination of local factors in addition to effective pain therapy with medication.

Targeted physiotherapy, back training, massages, spinal exercises, relaxation therapies, physical treatments, occupational therapy, electrotherapy, and, if necessary, special injection treatments in the area of the nerves of the spine are used to reduce pain, swelling, and restrictions in mobility.

If there is no noticeable improvement after 4-6 weeks of conservative therapy, or if paralysis or impaired excretory functions occur, Dr Jens Seifert advises surgical treatment.

The aim is always to relieve the compressed nerve structures so neurological deficits can regress. Dr Jens Seifert and his team always aim for a minimally invasive or endoscopic approach to keep the risk of surgery minimal and the length of stay at the Asklepios Fachklinik Hohwald Spine Centre as short as possible.

Most Excellent Expertise in Myelopathy and Spinal Canal Stenosis

Like herniated disks, spinal canal stenosis also leads to compression of the spinal cord, which in turn can result in myelopathy, i.e., chronic damage to the spinal cord. The nerve exit points in the cervical spine area, in particular, are affected by signs of wear at an early stage due to the high degree of flexibility.

Dr Jens Seifert has many years of clinical experience, innovative MRI imaging technology, and close medical cooperation with neurological specialists for comprehensive diagnostics of nerve function at the Spine Centre of the Asklepios Hohwald Specialist Clinic. This means the entire spectrum of spinal surgery can be offered at the Asklepios Hohwald site.

Interdisciplinary Cooperation for Tumors of the Spine

In addition to tumors such as meningiomas or neurinomas, which initially developed in the nerve structures, many tumors of the internal organs also metastasize into the bony skeleton and, thus, into the individual vertebral bodies. This can lead to fractures of the unstable vertebral bodies. Such a pathological fracture becomes symptomatic through sudden onset of pain, usually with radiation into the arms or legs, and possibly incontinence. In such cases, urgent surgery must be carried out to stabilize the spine and protect the spinal cord and any nerves that exit.

Interdisciplinary cooperation plays a decisive role in the treatment of spinal tumors. As spinal tumors represent a complex and multi-layered challenge, their diagnosis and treatment require a coordinated effort from various medical specialties.

The unique feature is the team formation of orthopedy, trauma surgery, and neurosurgery, with two experienced spinal surgeons regularly ensuring optimal surgical treatment at the operating table. The indication and consultation of patients take place in daily spine consultation hours and daily interdisciplinary consultation of the procedure in the team. This ensures a high level of treatment quality and the greatest possible avoidance of errors.

Please visit the Asklepios Hohwald Specialist Clinic website for more information on Dr Jens Seifert.