What one physician did for his spinal stenosis
"It was during a trip to Greece when things really went downhill," says Robert Kessler, a physician who is a patient of Virtua neurosurgeon
Mark Testaiuti, MD. "I had suffered with spinal stenosis for years. But when I developed a pins-and-needles feeling in my right foot, along with a foot drop where I couldn't control movement in the foot, I knew I was in trouble."
What is spinal stenosis?
Spinal stenosis is a condition in which the inside walls of the spinal column start
Gerald Hayken, MD, chief of orthopaedic surgery at Virtua Memorial Hospital explains: "Stenosis is caused by disc degeneration, joint degeneration and bulging of the ligaments that run up and down the sides of the spinal column. These changes add bulk to the spinal column's interior cavity, sometimes pinching the spinal nerves or cord."
Two weeks after Kessler returned home from Greece, Dr. Testaiuti relieved the pressure on his spinal nerves. He performed a minimally invasive laminotomy, which removed some of the bony growth crowding Kessler's spinal nerves.
Classic spinal stenosis symptoms include pain in the buttocks and legs. "Some patients become so incapacitated that they can't walk short distances because their legs feel so heavy and achy," adds Dr. Hayken.
To make a diagnosis, a physician must do a complete medical history and physical exam, perform x-rays and a few other tests. Dr. Testaiuti says: "Since spinal stenosis most often occurs in people age 60 and older, it's important to rule out conditions that mimic it such as peripheral vascular disease."
Treatment depends on severity
Not everyone with spinal stenosis requires surgery. Moderate symptoms may be relieved by activity modification, exercise, physical therapy or an epidural cortisone shot, leaving the option of surgery for the most serious cases.
Kessler says: "I left the hospital the day after my procedure. And the physical therapy I received at Virtua's William G. Center for HealthFitness played a big part in getting me back on my feet again." Some patients can even be treated as an outpatient and go home the same day.
To make an appointment with a Virtua neurosurgeon or orthopaedic surgeon,
call
1-888-Virtua-3.