Neurological and neurosurgical activity at the Institute of Rheumatology in Warsaw in the second half of the last century and today: an outline

Most of the diseases that rheumatology is dealing with are accompanied by pain and/or damage of the central or peripheral nervous system. This concerns in particular the diseases of the vertebral column, both degenerative with hernia of intervertebral discs, degeneration of intervertebral joints, destabilization of vertebrae or spinal stenosis as well as the diseases of immunologic-inflammatory origin (RA, AS and others). It presents a chance for scientific and clinical cooperation between rheumatologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons and orthopaedists. The Neurological Clinic exists also at the Institute of Rheumatology that celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The clinic, after the introduction of surgical treatment, changed its name to the Clinic of Spondylo-Neurosurgery. It resulted in the publication of more than 350 scientific and research papers, book chapters, course books and popular science booklets. The main subject of clinical activity remains non-invasive or surgical treatment of the vertebrogenic pain syndrome with nervous system damage, which responds to the social demand due to high incidence.