Ski pro Alexandra Coletti back in training two weeks after the procedure

She is 26 years young, 164 centimeters short and likes to race down snow-covered mountains at more than 100 kilometers per hour: Alexandra Coletti, professional skier from Monaco, her country's flag bearer at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, likes it fast. The numerous falls showed that the slopes in international competitions are not always harmless, even for top skiers.

N Just like the knees, your spine is particularly at risk. It was that time again in Canada: Alexandra Coletti fell, sprained her lumbar vertebrae, herniated discs, and severe pain was the result.
That would normally have meant a month-long break for the athlete. Because an "open operation" in which a so-called "prolapse" is repaired is a complicated surgical procedure that entails a lengthy rehabilitation phase. But since Alexandra Coletti didn't want to miss out on the all-important summer training and didn't want to be thrown back by about half a year, she looked for alternatives. “Friends told me about a German doctor who uses a much gentler method. I went to see him.” This German doctor is Dr. Michael Schubert from the "Apex Spine Center" in. For years he has played a pioneering role in the further development and application of minimally invasive spine surgery throughout Europe. dr Schubert has removed around 4,000 herniated discs using this method since 2003.

The advantages are apparent. dr Schubert: “A conventional operation is usually performed under general anesthesia. The doctor completely exposes the spine to about three to four inches to get to the prolapse (prolapse). Our procedure only requires a small incision, about five millimeters long. The entire procedure takes place under local anesthesia, which of course completely eliminates the risks of anesthesia. Schubert's further developed, tiny instruments, the incident is eliminated in the most gentle way imaginable.
The success can currently be seen in Alexandra Coletti's fate: "Just two weeks after the operation, I started strength training again," says the likeable skier. “I had open disc surgery a few years ago and it was months before I was able to start exercising again. I'm really overjoyed!”

The minimally invasive procedure is now so mature that Dr. Schubert even uses it on the cervical spine, the most delicate area of all; he has already helped 550 patients in this way.

Every year around 30,000 people in Germany are operated on herniated discs, most of them on the lumbar spine. Due to loss of work, lengthy rehabilitation and relapses, the economic damage runs into the hundreds of millions every year. Apart from that, the pain and restricted mobility are almost unbearable for those affected. Dr. Schubert in a relatively short operation - it lasts only about 30 - 45 minutes - with his "percutaneous intervertebral disc surgery" because of course he does not only operate on professional athletes; Prior to the procedure, patients with statutory health insurance receive all the necessary certificates and assessments for their health insurance.