New Jersey Neurosurgical Practice Offers Patients’ Access to Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
Sparta, NJ (PRWEB) September 05, 2013 -- Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (MISS), once again, helps Atlantic NeuroSurgical Specialists (ANS) patients recover quickly after surgery. Recently, ANS Neurosurgeon, Dr. Charles Stillerman, helped Sue Martin, 49, of Newton, NJ, get back on her feet after suffering from a large disc herniation. He performed a minimally invasive procedure that uses a microscopic drill through an ultrascope, helping to alleviate the compression of spinal nerves that resulted from the herniation.
“Minimally invasive spine surgery is a smaller operation with bigger results,” says Stillerman. “Key benefits include smaller incisions, shorter hospital stays and less post-operative discomfort; benefits that would not be possible just a few years ago.” MISS patients generally go home doing well within hours of surgery and incisions are usually so small that there are no sutures to remove.
Ms. Martin is known by friends and family as a positive, energetic wife and mother of four children ages 13-22. Last October, Ms. Martin started to feel discomfort in her lower back area, and as days went by, it seemed to be getting worse. Like most people experiencing chronic discomfort, Ms. Martin’s demeanor started to change, and the woman who normally describes herself as having a “high tolerance for pain” really started to see her life deteriorating. Normal, everyday activities like taking walks, shopping with her daughters, and working as a secretary in her husband’s real estate firm became impossible. “I couldn’t enjoy life anymore. Without warning, I found myself in a place I’d never been. It was a dark place and I cried daily,” she says.
The pain would last for 6 months, when Ms. Martin finally visited her family physician. “By the time I got there, the pain was unbearable and I was desperate for help. My doctor suggested I see a spine specialist. He told me he knew of a local neurosurgeon, and referred me to Dr. Charles Stillerman of ANS. I called and they were able to schedule my appointment immediately.”
Dr. Stillerman is a board certified neurosurgeon and is one of five fellowship trained spinal surgeons in the practice. His specialties include spinal disorders and complex spinal deformities. Like all other neurosurgeons at ANS, Dr. Stillerman believes that surgery should only be considered as a last resort. “We first explore alternative, more conservative options,” says Dr. Stillerman. “It is only after these options have been exhausted that we suggest surgery.” In Ms. Martin’s case, surgery was necessary.
After her surgery, Ms. Martin says she felt “wonderful” and had “no pain at all.” She regrets thinking the pain would go away on its own, adding that she should have seen her physician sooner. “This is a common mistake many patients make,” says Dr. Stillerman. “Many people think the pain will go away just as it had come, but the spine is central to your body and affects a major portion of your nervous system. When your spine is compromised, you could aggravate the situation by not seeing a medical professional.” As for Ms. Martin, she is back to enjoying her life and her family. “I owe everything to Dr. Stillerman,” says Ms. Martin. “He gave me my life back and I will be forever grateful.”
ANS now has an office location at 89 Sparta Avenue, Sparta NJ. For more information about ANS and minimally invasive spine surgery, visit http://www.ansdocs.com or call 973-729-0266.
Hayley Cuccolo, Stafford Communications, http://www.staffcom.com, 9082195514, [email protected]
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