lower back pain

experts estimate that merely eighty-five percent of americans will suffer from

it at some point

though pain in the lower back or lumbar region occurs for many reasons one of

the most common causes is a herniated disc

the low back otherwise known as a lumbar spine is a crucial part of your back because it's a lower

structure that helps support us

when we are sitting or standing throughout the day

the disc

is sandwiched in between two vertebra

the disc is the shock absorber of the spine

it absorbs impact when you jump up and down

it allows you to move and to rotate the reason why it's important to have the disc in between the lumbar spine

is that when a disc degenerates

it can degenerate enough where there is less space available for the nerves so not only do you

get back pain you can also get nerve pain which goes down to the legs

that can create a lot of problems you may have leg pain that leads to weakness or the

inability to do daily activities

ruptured or herniated discs can be the result of overuse injury

or aging

disc degeneration can certainly be caused by genetics a large portion of that

it can also be caused by environmental factors

we found that vibration can create disc degeneration because the constant loading

and unloading of the disc can create an environment where the disc degenerates more easily

even tramatic injuries where falls from height or jumping off of the ski jump

those can create disc degeneration also

even something trivial or small such as a small slip

that may initially cause a herniation or disc bulge

and can create a disc more susceptible to injury down the road

if there's a injury to the disc

it doesn't heal

so injuries are permanent and accumulate

treatment options vary depending on the severity of the tear in the disc

according to doctors about eighty percent of cases can be treated by

conservative or non operative therapies however for those patients who require

surgery

there is an advanced new procedure

called transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion or TLIF

it's a mouthful

which really means that you're doing a fusion of both the front of the spine

and the back of the spine through a very small incision in the center of the spine

what it does is it allows the two vertebral bodies which are moving

painfully together to become one piece of bone so it eliminates the pain

because transforaminal lumbar interbody fusions are minimally invasive

they may present less risk to patients and studies show that TLIF procedures

had the highest fusion success rate three years ago i was able to run and

uh...

as we came to two years i was only able to walk and then as we came to the last

year I was able to do any exercise be physical ski

or even enjoy some of the normal things i'd like to do in life

this procedure that we call the TLIF

is a procedure that heals remarkably well and very quickly normally within

four to six months

you have an absolute solid fusion and you can go out and play golf

you can go back and bungee jump and rollerblade pole vault do all those

other wonderful things you want to do

my recovery has taken about six months four to six months after

two months or so you feel really strong almost feel like a normal person again

and it only gets better from that point forward

the success rate for a TLIF

for back pain

is on the order of about ninety percent

for two-thirds relief of pain

so patients who get this procedure

are normally quite happy once the fusion becomes solid

before undergoing TLIF or any spinal surgery

experts stress the need for thorough diagnostic evaluation and advise back

pain sufferers to consult a spinal specialist we always try to stress

to the patients that we need to find where the pain is coming from

if you don't know where the pain is coming from you can't treat it

and i think the most

significant way to do that is selective injections diagnostic tests such as an

MRI or even a CT scan

and certainly even a good therapy session could be helpful

back pain

had pretty much cut out all my

activity

and i had maxed out on pain pills

seen a physical therapist

have tried acupuncture tried steroid shots

and i still

was at the point where i had pain

most of the time

if lower back pain is keeping you from enjoying an active lifestyle

let the experts at the steadman hawkins clinic help stop your suffering

at the point where my pain

overtook my life i consulted my physician about what were my choices

he suggested steadman hawkins the steadman hawkins clinic provides thorough

diagnostic services and their highly experienced team of physicians will find

the right treatment option for you

we have a very comprehensive range of services that we offer at steadman hawkins

that includes non operative care

injections therapy aquatics even surgical care for the people who need that

my fusion surgery resulted in the fact that i have no pain

whatsoever anymore

and the promise of going back to an extremely active life

specializing in orthopedics and sports medicine the goal of the steadman hawkins

clinic is to help each client reach optimum recovery

by providing the highest level of care and personal attention the clinic is

very accessible and was very easy to get to and

and of course they are world renowned for their successes

orthopedicly

my experience here was exceptional

my hospital care

the surgeons care

the PA's care everything was exceptional

for unparalleled expertise and commitment to care

choose the steadman hawkins clinic