About 1.2 million Americans suffer from lumbar spinal stenosis. It’s a condition that can cause debilitating pain. Spinal fusion surgery can help, but it sometimes leaves patients with limited mobility. Now, there’s a new treatment on the horizon; it’s a joint replacement for the spine.
Eileen Eckert is a mom, grandma, and now great-grandma.
“I love it. I’m on the go!” exclaimed Eckert.
But keeping up with the little ones was tough when Eckert developed spinal stenosis, a condition that causes narrowing of the spinal canal and lots of pain.
“It was a stabbing pain,” Eckert told ABC30. “It just got more and more painful.”
Eckert’s doctor told her about a brand new procedure, and she was one of the first patients in the country to have it.
Eckert said, “I said if it’s going to take the pain away, let’s do it!”
As part of a clinical trial, surgeon Neel Anand is performing a joint replacement for the spine. He first removes parts of the facet joints.
