Example leader: Defense Minister Benny Gantz prayed this morning (Wednesday) and put on tefillin before undergoing back surgery at Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer.
Gantz arrived at the hospital last night and underwent a series of tests in preparation for the surgery, which aims to overcome an injury that stems from his military service in the paratroopers - and has worsened in recent months.
His office said that this is a surgical procedure that is expected to last several hours and will take place under full anesthesia.
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
""The minister is feeling well and is being treated by the team of surgeons in the orthopedic department, led by Dr. Loewinkoff and Dr. Friedlander," the office said.
During the surgery, Minister Michael Biton is expected to replace Gantz at the Defense Ministry, after the government approved it in a telephone poll. Surprisingly, he did not choose Gabi Ashkenazi to replace him.
Prof. Rafi Carasso, a pain treatment specialist and director of the neurological department and pain clinic (retired) at Hillel Yaffe, spoke with Golan Yochpaz and Anat Davidov on 103fm about the expected surgery.
""People who have been in parachutists, jumped from vehicles, are tall and carry weight, run a lot and people who have certain genetics - they have a greater incidence of herniated discs in the back. The discs usually rupture either in the lower back, the lower part of the spine, the lower vertebrae; or in the lower cervical vertebrae C6-5," he explained.
He emphasized that "the surgery is not dangerous and the surgical team is professional and experienced.".
Caruso noted that during surgery, the disc is released: "A disc is like a pad that is located between vertebrae and at a certain point it presses on a nerve, and this causes pain. The disc is released or suctioned out. It is given up, its inner part is taken out. It is like a car wheel that is built from a harder outer part, wheels made of thin rubber that is actually gelatin, and it bursts and presses on the nerve.".
Prof. Caruso estimated that the injury could have been caused by a fractured vertebra that was not treated in time, and did not rule out the possibility that the transition to political life also affected his medical condition: "It could be that if he were not a 'sedentary' person today (from the word 'yishva') and was not under stress, stress is a normal thing for anyone at the top - without exception, it causes muscle contraction that brings the vertebrae closer together.".
Gantz, according to reports, is expected to stay in the hospital for about a week to recover.
Prof. Caruso noted that the duration of recovery is individual: "It depends mainly on the patient, more than the therapist. I don't know if they will fix him, because sometimes the spine is fixed with screws. If he stays for a week, they probably did a repair of a herniated disc, and a metal fixation that can look like a metal ladder that is attached to the vertebrae, or screws with a plate.".
'"There are different methods that can be determined, everything depends on the situation. Sometimes, due to an accident, one vertebra can slip over another, and then there is more pressure on some of the nerves that come out. According to the CT and MRI and the clinical examination - we decide which surgery to perform.".
He explained that after a standard disc surgery, "people can return home after 2-3 days, usually taking a longer safety margin. But it is not recommended to return to normal activity straight away, certainly not sports.".
He said that there is a possibility of "open surgery, a five-centimeter incision," and that this depends on the surgeon and the specific case.
""If it's just a disc extraction or just a disc surgery and the conditions are good - you can go in with endoscopic equipment, with tubes. I assume that they will do open surgery and fixation because we're talking about a surgery that takes a few hours. A surgery that takes a few hours is usually open with fixation. It's definitely more complicated and sometimes the pain afterwards, the recovery is a little slower," said Prof. Caruso.
