A new surgery procedure is helping those who suffer from chronic back pain. The X-Stop Spacer is inserted between two bones in the back of the spine. Soon, patients are no longer in pain. FOX16's Jennifer Akers was in surgery when the device was implanted into a 79-year-old woman.
"I got to try anything, anything to walk," said Nora Johnson. Nora Johnson of North Little Rock is desperate to get rid of the intense pain she feels in her lower back, buttocks, and legs.
“I’m hoping I can walk, when I take a step it's like a needle in my lower back," said Nora Johnson.
A year ago, Nora got out of her car and fell, that's when all of her pain started. Now she's hoping this new device, the X-Stop Spacer, will take away her pain and help her walk again. "It's just like a numbing pain, it doesn't go away," said Nora.
Dr. Justin Seale of St. Vincent says that makes the surgery perfect for patients like Nora. She suffers from Lumbar Spinal Stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower part of the spine. "Through a very small incision that we insert in the back of the spine. It opens up the spine and takes pressure off the nerve roots," said Dr. Justin Seale.
Dr. Seale fits the X-Stop Spacer between two bones in the back of Nora's Spine. Once in, it stays in place without being attached to the bone or ligaments and soon will stop the pinching of the nerve, relieving Nora's pain. "Generally it will take about two weeks for the back pain to resolve,” said Dr. Seale.
And that's exactly what Nora is praying for. Dr. Seale says his goal with Nora is to relieve her pain so that she is able to walk without her walker.
This procedure isn't specifically for those who only suffer from back pain but instead, buttock and leg pain with standing and walking. The ideal patients is over 60 years old. Total recovery from the surgery is about three to four weeks.
More Information:
Spine Seminar
Dr. Justin Seale
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
11:30 AM-1:00 PM
Vincent De Paul Room
St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center
2 St. Vincent Circle
Little Rock, AR 72205
$6 – Includes lunch
