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Revolutionary Techniques Stop Spinal Pain

Rita Pildis described herself as energetic and always on the go at “77 years young.” However, she lost her spark about seven months ago after fracturing one of her vertebrae. The back pain she experienced after slipping and falling on her kitchen floor while washing dishes was tremendous. “I couldn’t sleep; I couldn’t get out of bed. It was murder!” Pildis exclaimed.

Then Pildis underwent a minimally invasive spine surgery at St. Luke’s Hospital called kyphoplasty. “When I woke up after surgery, the pain was gone,” she said. “And the people at St. Luke’s — the nurses and everyone — were wonderful.”

Quick Recovery, Plus Pain Relief

Aubrey Okpaku, MD, a neurosurgeon at Southcoast, said, “During the past 10 years, there have been many changes to back surgery — most importantly, the introduction of procedures that use minimally invasive techniques.”

Leslie Stern, MD, PhD, also a Southcoast neurosurgeon, added that these new procedures can give patients like Pildis their lives back without the long, painful hospital stays that used to come with spine surgery.

“Older adults suffer the majority of vertebral compression fractures due to osteoporosis,” Dr. Stern said. “Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty offer hope. More than 80 percent of patients experience immediate pain relief after treatment.”

Dr. Okpaku explained that both kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty involve tiny incisions in the back and injection of a safe, quick-drying cement to restore strength and height to the fractured vertebrae. However, he said kyphoplasty requires more incisions and the insertion of a small balloon that is then removed. Vertebroplasty injects cement directly into the vertebrae and can take as few as 15 minutes to perform.

“These procedures can be done under local anesthesia if a patient cannot tolerate general anesthesia, and without an overnight stay. Usually, we like our older patients to remain with us for one night,” noted Dr. Stern.

Something Can Be Done

Pildis doesn’t regret her decision to undergo surgery for a minute. “There are a lot of people hurting, and they’re not aware that by seeing a neurosurgeon something can be done to relieve them of the pain — and something very simple,” she said. “And you don’t have to go to Boston. It’s all right here at Southcoast!”