Back pain treatment milestone:
Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center orthopedic surgeon is first
in Virginia to implant ‘motion preserving’
spinal device to treat Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis is the most common indication
for surgery in persons aged over 60 in the United States
Clinical study info at www.appliedspine.com
NORFOLK, Va. (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) January 23, 2008 --
J. Abbott Byrd,
III, M.D., a board-certified orthopedic surgeon affiliated with Bon
Secours DePaul Medical Center, is the first spine surgeon in Virginia to
implant the Stabilimax
NZ® Dynamic Spine Stabilization System as
part of a randomized, controlled, national research study.
The research study is comparing posterior dynamic stabilization in
patients using the Stabilimax NZ device to patients receiving
traditional fusion surgery to treat their Lumbar
Spinal Stenosis, a common lower-back disorder where deterioration of
the joints and discs leads to increased pressure on the spinal nerves.
Dr. Byrd’s first patient was 83-year-old
Elizabeth Williams.
“I had never had back pain before,”
says Elizabeth. “But all of a sudden I had it,
starting in the summer of 2006, and for more than a year thereafter my
life was limited to sitting on my sofa all day, every day, with my leg
propped up to alleviate the pain. If I had to move around I had to use a
wheelchair. I couldn’t go out to yard sales
and shopping with my daughter; I couldn’t walk
down the hallway of my apartment building and socialize the way I always
had. I was leading a very depressing existence.”
Elizabeth had three epidural injections in her spine during the course
of a year in an attempt to relieve her pain without surgery. “I
didn’t look forward to them,”
admits Elizabeth. “And as soon as the
injections wore off, the pain came right back and stayed with me.”
Eventually, Elizabeth’s primary care
physician referred her to the Atlantic Orthopedic Specialists in
Virginia Beach, where she met Dr. Byrd, who determined that Elizabeth’s
condition made her eligible to participate in a clinical study of the
experimental spinal implant, Stabilimax NZ.
“I had the Stabilimax procedure on June 29th
last year,” recalls Elizabeth. “I
was walking around without any pain whatsoever the very next morning
after the procedure. I didn’t have to get any
refills on my pain medicine that Dr. Byrd prescribed for me. I tell you
I am a new woman,” insists Elizabeth. “I
can walk up and down my hallway and socialize with everybody without any
help. I go to yard sales and shopping now with my daughter. I can get
around now without using any support. I’m
only wearing a soft brace when I’m out
walking or shopping. And don’t forget I’m
83 years old. But I’m doing fantastic! Like I
said, I’m a whole new woman now.”
"This new Stabilimax NZ procedure has the potential to reduce pain and
suffering for the thousands of seniors like Elizabeth who suffer from
this common spinal condition, Lumbar Spinal Stenosis," says Dr. Byrd.
Lumbar
Spinal Stenosis is the most common indication for surgery in persons
aged over 60 in the United States. It is estimated that as many as
400,000 Americans, most over the age of 60, may already be suffering
from the symptoms of LSS [source: American
Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological
Surgeons (CNS)], and this number is expected
to grow over the next decade.
For further information, please visit www.appliedspine.com.
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