Algerian truck driver Said Moussa (38) was confined to a wheelchair for 5 years due to an illness he suffered. Unable to find a cure in his country, Moussa started walking again in Turkey with spinal cord stimulator treatment applied by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kılıç. The patient, who is happy to walk again after years, plans to get behind the wheel of his truck soon.
Said Moussa contracted an autoimmune disease in 2020 that damaged his spinal cord as a result of his body attacking its own tissues, leaving him unable to walk. Moussa, a father of three, spent five years in a wheelchair and consulted many doctors in his country but could not get results. As a last resort, Moussa came to Turkey and started walking again with the spinal cord stimulator treatment applied by Specialist in Neurosurgery, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kılıç, at BHT CLINIC Istanbul Tema Hospital. After completing the treatment process, Moussa, who will strengthen his muscles with physiotherapy, is expected to improve further in a short time.
"I had surgery, everything was 100 percent successful"
Said Moussa shared his feelings, stating that he regained his health in a short time after coming to Turkey: "As soon as I arrived from Algeria, I came straight to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kılıç. I couldn't walk. I had surgery, and everything was 100 percent successful. Since 2020, I couldn't do anything because I couldn't walk. I couldn't continue my job either. I went to many doctors in Algeria, but I didn't get any positive results. I thank both the doctor and his team very much. I was a successful person in my job, and I want to return to my job. Also, staying at home was not for me at all, and I was emotionally quite worn out and found it difficult during this process."
"Pains completely gone with the new generation spinal cord stimulator"
Explaining the treatment process, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kılıç explained the patient's condition and the method applied: "Our patient applied to us from Algeria. He is a young patient. About five years ago, he had an illness, where his body attacked its own tissues, resulting in spinal cord damage. For this reason, he was dependent on a wheelchair; he could only be lifted with the help of someone. He had severe neuropathic pain. We applied new-generation spinal cord stimulator treatment to our patient. After the treatment, his pain was almost completely gone. The movements restricted by the pain returned, and our patient started walking independently. This result was surprising and pleasing for us too."
How the spinal cord stimulator works
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kılıç explained the working principle of the spinal cord stimulator system: "Thanks to the electrodes we place on the spinal cord, we cut off the pain signals going from the arms and legs to the brain at the spinal cord level. Since the pain is completely or almost completely eliminated, the movement ability of the patients also improves significantly. This patient is a very good example of this."
Turkey's preference in health tourism
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kılıç emphasized that Turkey has a strong position in health tourism and stated: "The patient preferred here because he knew that health services in Turkey are very high quality. Turkey is generally at a very advanced level in terms of physician quality. You can restore the health of a patient who has been suffering from this problem for five years with the right treatment. This treatment is not a procedure that patients should fear."
"Patients are not condemned to pain"
Stating that spinal cord stimulator treatment can be applied to a wide group of patients, Kılıç concluded his words with the message: "Spinal cord stimulator treatment can be applied regardless of age. We get very effective results in patients who experience spinal cord damage due to autoimmune disease, accident, or vascular causes. These people do not have to be condemned to pain. Medicine is developing, technology is advancing. With the right physician, quality of life can be regained with these treatments."
