Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

You May Have Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Which Can Be Helped With A New Outpatient Procedure

Lumbar Spinal  Stenosis is the result of aging and “wear and tear” on the spine from everyday activities. These changes cause the spinal canal to narrow which can “pinch” the nerves in your lower back and may cause extremely painful back and leg pain while standing or walking. You also may experience tingling, numbness or weakness in  your legs, calves or buttocks.  A new outpatient procedure at Henry Community Health can help relieve this pain and improve mobility.

Take The Test To See If You Might Be Helped

If you have a chronic history of back and leg pain that worsens when you stand or walk  you may be a good candidates for this life changing procedure.

Take the Test

Patients Seeing 80% to 90% Improvement

We are seeing about 80 to 90 percent improvement in both pain and function”, said Dr. Taylor who is board certified in pain management and physical medicine and rehabilitation.Dr. Taylor treats lumbar spinal stenosis patients who qualify for this procedure with a Vertiflex Superion® implant between the affected vertebrae. The Vertiflex device is about an inch long and a half-inch wide and is placed between the vertebrae to hold them open relieving pressure on nerves in the spinal column.

This outpatient procedure only takes about an hour and fills a gap between major traditional surgery and conservative care. Currently it is approved by traditional Medicare and some commercial insurance. You are encouraged to stand up within an hour of the surgery and are able to go home the same day with a soft back brace. Depending on the severity of stenosis you may quickly begin seeing relief. Follow-up occurs one week later with further appointments scheduled to track progress.  Although the surgery has shown great results for chronic lumbar stenosis, it isn’t appropriate for some patients especially those with extreme stenosis, osteoporosis or who are severely overweight.

Dr. Scott Taylor Explains The Procedure And How It Can Help You

We have several short videos which you will find educational and help to explain what to expect.

Watch Videos

FAQs

What are the symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis?

  • Decreased endurance during physical activities
  • Weakness and/or loss of balance
  • Improved symptoms improve when you sit, lean forward, lie on your back, or sit with your feet raised
  • Numbness or a “tingling” feeling in your legs, calves, or buttocks
  • Aching, dull back pain radiating (spreading) to your legs
  • Neurogenic Claudication also known as pseudoclaudication,  causing impingement or inflammation of the nerves emanating from the spinal cord. Although a flexed position also may potentially relieve symptoms, resting typically offers the greatest relief of pain.

How can the Vertiflex Superion Implant Help Me?

Superion was developed for patients with moderate spinal stenosis who have tried six months of conservative care treatment without finding relief from their pain. It is also for patients whose medical history shows that Superion may be their best treatment option because traditional spinal surgery could be too demanding. People who will benefit the most from the Superion implant are those whose symptoms are relieved when bending forward, such as when pushing a shopping cart. Leaning forward causes the spinal canal to open, which relieves pressure on the nerves. The implant produces the same effect — relieving pressure on the nerves – without leaning forward. Superion is a small implant, available in different sizes to best match your spinal anatomy. It is made of titanium, a material used for medical implants because it is lightweight with great strength. Titanium is biocompatible and reduces the risk of inflammation or rejection.

What happens during the surgery?

This is an outpatient procedure that will be perfromed at Henry Community Health in New Castle. You’ll be sedated during the procedure which typically takes less than an hour. It is implanted through a small incision in your lower back.  It is placed between the vertebrae and holds them open. This relieves the pressure on the nerves in the spinal canal. When the Superion is placed, the device arms are opened and surround the spinous process. This ensures that the device will not dislodge.