Surgery of the 21st Century: The Wooridul Way

Located in a remote and quiet area of the city, a small International Hospital has been operating for the last couple of years almost completely undetected in the metropolis of Shanghai. At first glance it is almost impossible to see, with just a sign in Chinese displayed on the outside wall to signal the hospital's presence at all in the small housing residence. However, as we approach the hospital and enter onto their premises, it becomes apparent that this is no ordinary hospital. The old and slightly outdated exterior of the building is engulfed in steel and glass at the entrance, and as we enter we find a warm and new glow that seems to have been almost untouched.

Unbelievably I am standing in one of the most state of the art, privately run hospitals in the whole country.

When I meet Dr Byungjoo Jung MD, PHD , President and cornerstone of the Hospital, he explains to me what Wooridul Hospital is and the choice of location.

The location is not in central simply because they want it to feel like a private hospital. As we all know, Shanghai is one of the most crowded and dense cities in the world, and establishing a hospital of this kind would hurt the environment and philosophy of their medical. This is a place for the doctors to get on with their work and allow them to help and heal the people who need it, in the tranquil, peace and quiet of the hospital grounds. And believe me when I say it is peaceful and quiet. Of all the hospitals I have visited in UK, Hong Kong, Malaysia and in China, I must say Wooridul’s hospital gives you the impression that you have all the staffs’ full 100% attention.

However, Wooridul Hospital is no ordinary hospital, and Dr Jung is no ordinary doctor. Founded in Busan 1982, South Korea, Wooridul is the 1# leading spine hospital in the whole world, with 2 branches in Seoul, 2 in Busan, Daegu, Jakarta and now Shanghai; they are fast expanding their services across the whole globe.

The Wooridul Way

With over 6000 spinal surgeries under his belt during his 11 years as a spinal surgeon, Dr. Jung was kind enough to give me an insight onto the philosophy and aims of the Shanghai branch of Wooridul hospital, and the importance of the correct treatment and early diagnosis.

Spinal degeneration and back disease (disc degeneration) are a regular occurrence in most spinal surgeries nowadays in people aged 35 and over. This can be caused from simple things such as sitting awkwardly whilst working, having bad posture, and regular staining of the back muscles through improper exercise or lifting. Dr. Jung explains that all this can lead to back disease and degeneration of the bones and tissues in the spine. Apart from serious cases and accidents, Dr. Jung claims that most people can avoid back surgery in the future if they followed some simple rules and exercises.

Most people often wait until it is too late to do anything other than some form of hospital treatment to correct the problem, though at Wooridul, there are several options which they offer to tailor to their patient’s request. Should the patient not want to undergo surgery; physiotherapy, acupuncture, pain-relief injections are all viable options which the patient can choose as a treatment.

Technology of the 21st Century

What differs from Wooridul to the other back hospitals?

According to Dr. Jung there is no competition with other hospitals that can beat the technology or the expertise that Wooridul has, including that of America and Europe. Wooridul Hospital is renowned as one of the best spinal hospital in the medical world with the latest technologies and techniques. By working with medical experts across the globe through video conferencing and the study of the latest medical journals, all of the staff at Wooridul both in China and internationally, constantly keep in touch with the latest techniques.

What is the difference?

Medical history from the West has realized that the same patients that had back surgery performed 10-15 years ago have returned to go under the knife yet again in a bid to resolve different problems. The problems arose from open surgery and the use of what is known as heavy materials (such as scalpels). With the recovery time after having this type of surgery usually being between 8-12 weeks before you can even start to walk, in the past it was considered a complicated and high risk operation.

Now however, the new advanced minimally invasive surgery will not cause any future back problems that open surgery can create. This technique allows surgeons to perform operations through very small incisions compared to the traditional open surgery techniques, which require large incisions through muscles and other tissues to reach the problem area. With minimal scarring, uncomplicated surgery procedures, it should be an automatic choice for anyone requiring surgery. What is amazing though is the recovery time. Because there is no need to cut any of the muscles in your back, and because the incisions are small, Dr. Jung explains that most patients are up and walking 3-4 hours after surgery.

With Wooridul Hospital equipped with the latest technology including the latest MRI, CT, and DR machines, they are guaranteed to be able to pinpoint the source of your back problems.

Implementing a New Philosophy

So why is it that Wooridul has decided to establish a branch in Shanghai I ask?

Dr. Jung has a passionate and honest reply. Wooridul’s philosophy is to use new techniques to help and aid people. ‘Doctors are not Gods, and sometimes doctors need to be reminded that’ claims Dr. Jung. China’s medical team is not nearly as advanced as the West’s medical team when it comes to spinal surgery techniques and treatment. He puts it down mainly to the majority of Chinese doctors being unable to read the manuscripts written by the international experts that are all published in English. Due to this factor, Dr. Jung believes that China is almost 10 years off the pace. It is his hope that with Wooridul entering the Chinese medical market, they can show the new techniques of medical practice to the current Chinese medical institutions, and change the philosophy of how Chinese doctors currently practice medicine.

ByungJoo Jung MD, PhD

Neurosurgery President of Shanghai
Wooridul Hospital First Spine Team

Languages:  Korean, English, Mandarin

Dr. Jung received his medical degree from KyungPook National University and completed his PhD in HanYang University, South Korea. Having also spent time studying minimally evasive surgery abroad in Arizona Phoenix University, Washington University and the world famous Barrow BNI Hospital in the United States of America, his name is recognized internationally and is considered to be one of the top experts in the world. Previously working in the Seoul branch of Wooridul Hospital for 11 years where he was also company President, Dr Jung has been in Shanghai for 3 years overseeing everything at Wooridul Shanghai. Dr. Jung has also published numerous articles and journals in both English and Korean on spinal treatment and minimally invasive surgery over the last 8 years.