ATOS – Your spine specialist in Germany

At ATOS, you can expect cutting-edge medicine in many different areas including for spinal problems. Back pain is one of the most common ailments in the western world. Painful back problems are often due to problems with the spine. In terms of its functional role, on the one hand, the spine is responsible for keeping the body upright – it carries the weight of the head, trunk and arms – on the other, the spine protects the spinal cord.

Disc problems as a common back problem

The spine is divided into 7 cervical vertebrae, 12 thoracic vertebrae and 5 lumbar vertebrae. The sacrum and tailbone are also at the lower end. There are a total of 23 discs between the individual vertebrae which act as a kind of shock absorber. Wear, misalignment or accidents can cause the discs to shift and lose their elasticity. As a result, they can no longer act as shock absorbers between the individual vertebrae and the gelatinous nucleus of the intervertebral disc may shift (intervertebral disc bulging). If it breaks through the outer ring of the intervertebral disc it is called a herniated disc. If conservative therapies prove unsuccessful  intervertebral disc surgery is an option – in Germany, around 150,000 interventions are performed on intervertebral discs each year.

Back pain can have various causes

But intervertebral discs are not the only cause of pain in the back area. For example, a vertebral fracture is more common than commonly thought – and is not always noticed. In addition – especially in adolescents – spondylolisthesis is not uncommon. Overloading causes the vertebral bodies of the lower lumbar spine to move against each other – often accompanied by pain. If a doctor cannot control the back pain conservatively, surgery is inevitable. In old age, wear-related spinal canal stenosis also occurs – an increasing problem of our ageing society.

Our ATOS experts are among the most renowned spine specialists in Germany. Always on the cutting edge of research and technology, we can offer you spine treatments at the highest level.

You can rely on the expertise of our highly specialised and renowned physicians for back pain in our ATOS clinics.