PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves. It can cause debilitating pain and numbness in the lower back and legs, and 10 percent of all Americans will experience it. Patients now have a new FDA-approved treatment option that is helping them become pain-free without fusion.
Nathan Snyder has been an athlete his entire life — he played football at Harvard, but his back pain started even before college. Little by little, the pain got the best of him.
“As it progressed, it started as nerve pain down my leg and it eventually got all the way to my toes on both sides,” Nathan tells Ivanhoe.
Nathan was diagnosed with spinal stenosis – a wear and tear of the joints in the lower spine, creating bone spurs that push on the nerves.
“I stopped running – consistently running seemed to trigger it. I had to stop playing basketball,” he says.
Chair of Neurosurgery at Allegheny Health Network, Donald Whiting, MD, offered Nathan an alternative to spinal fusion that would relieve his pain and preserve his range of motion. The procedure is called TOPS posterior arthroplasty. Surgeons alleviate nerve pressure by substituting bone with two movable titanium joints, and they do not insert a rigid rod – typical of a spinal fusion.
“There’s less wear and tear on the levels above and below and less a need for further surgery down the road,” Dr. Whiting explains.
Nathan said he knew immediately it had worked. Now, he’s pain-free, can bend, flex, walk, workout – do all the things he couldn’t do for decades.
Nathan says with relief, “I feel better than I did at 30.”
Nathan was part of a clinical trial, but now, the TOPS device is FDA-approved and can be used for patients with problems in the spine from vertebrae L3 to L5, the segments of the spine most commonly affected by spinal stenosis.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Kirk Manson, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
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Source:
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases–conditions/lumbar-spinal-stenosis/
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: TOPS FUSION ALTERNATIVE
REPORT: MB #5312
BACKGROUND: Spinal stenosis is a condition that happens when there is a narrowing of the spine, which puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves. This narrowing can occur in various areas of the spine. There are two main types of spinal stenosis: cervical stenosis (affecting the neck area) and lumbar stenosis (affecting the lower back). Spinal stenosis is commonly caused by wear and tear the on spine due to arthritis. According to JAMA Network, spinal stenosis affects only 11 percent of older adults in the U.S. population. About 80 percent of people with spinal stenosis show no symptoms.
(Sources: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/spinal-stenosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352961
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2792079)
DIAGNOSING: Spinal stenosis can happen in two areas of the body: the lower back and the neck. Symptoms of spinal stenosis in the lower back can include cramping in the legs or back pain. Symptoms of spinal stenosis in the neck include, but are not limited to: numbness, tingling and/or weakness in limbs, walking or balance issues, neck pain, and/or bowel or bladder issues. Doctors can diagnose spinal stenosis with physical exams, X-rays, MRIs, and/or CT scans.
(Sources: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/spinal-stenosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352961
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/spinal-stenosis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352966)
NEW TECHNOLOGY: Traditional ways to treat spinal stenosis are with medications, like NSAIDs, antidepressants, anti-seizure meds, or opioids, also physical therapy, steroid shots, needle procedure for thickened ligaments, and in severe cases, surgery. A new way to treat the conditions is a device that was recently approved by the FDA called TOPS. According to Premia Spine’s website, “The TOPS Posterior Arthroplasty System addresses two critical functions of the spine – maintaining stability and preserving motion. In the procedure, the surgeon removes the bony elements that press on the nerves. Then, the doctor implants the device to stabilize and reestablish a controlled range of movement of the spine.”
(Sources: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/spinal-stenosis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352966
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Sarafina Brooks James
412-609-2902
sarafina.brooks@highmarkhealth.org
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com
