Have you been living with pain from compressed nerves in your spine? You’ve gotten relief off and on with injections, physical therapy, and medication, but the pain always comes back. Sometimes your upper legs feel numb. The pain and numbness make it hard to move. You may only be able to walk short distances.
Every year more than 2 million people in the U.S. receive a diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). The condition affects about 1 in 5 adults over the age of 60. Debilitating back pain is the leading cause of workplace disability claims.
LSS affects your entire quality of life, in addition to your work life. You may no longer be able to enjoy active hobbies such as gardening, dancing, or playing sports. When it’s difficult to move, your world gets a lot smaller.
Our expert team at Apollo Pain Management provides the most advanced treatment available for severe and chronic pain at our offices in Bradenton and Sun City Center, Florida.. We offer the minimally invasive mild® procedure for our patients suffering from lumbar spinal stenosis.
What is lumbar spinal stenosis?
Your spinal vertebrae encompass a tunnel — the spinal canal — that runs through your spinal cord. You have nerves throughout the spinal cord. When LSS develops, the spinal canal is blocked. The condition has been compared to a kink in a straw.
What causes lumbar spinal stenosis?
Common causes of LSS are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Through wear and tear on your bones and joints, you may have developed a bone spur that’s blocking the canal. It could also be a result of a ruptured disc or a thickened ligament. Any of these or other abnormalities can put pressure on your spinal nerves and spinal cord, resulting in painful compression.
How does the Vertos Medical mild® procedure relieve LSS?
The Vertos Medical mild procedure treats the root cause of LSS instead of just the symptoms. It’s a minimally invasive treatment.
Using light sedation and a local anesthetic, your Apollo Pain Management physician makes a tiny incision in your lower back. Using X-ray guidance, your doctor cleans out any bone spurs or other material that’s blocking your spinal canal. Pressure on the nerves is released. The only bandage required is a band aid because the incision is so small.
Advantages of the Vertos Medical mild® procedure for LSS
There are many advantages to the Vertos Medical mild® procedure.
- Minimally invasive
- No stitches needed
- No steroids prescribed
- No opioids prescribed
- No general anesthesia needed
- Fast recovery
- Long-lasting results
Most patients can return to normal activity within one day. Studies show an 85 percent patient satisfaction rate.
Unlike injections, in which the effect eventually wears off, the mild® procedure takes care of the root cause of the pain, so it’s a long-lasting solution. A Cleveland Clinic one-year study found that patients were able to stand for almost one hour with greatly reduced pain, compared with eight minutes before having the procedure.
Call Apollo Pain Management or request an appointment through our online portal today. We’re here to help you regain your quality of life.