Age: 62
Hometown: Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey
Surgeon: Ocean Orthopedic Associates, Toms River, NJ
Procedure: eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF®)
Surgery Date: November 9, 2012
Life Prior to Surgery: Mark struggled with back pain for three years before finding permanent relief. He tried epidural injections that didn’t help and he took a lot of ibuprofen. Mark’s active lifestyle of walking, hiking, and exercising regularly was greatly diminished by his pain. Eventually, Mark was referred to a surgeon for a consultation. His surgeon recommended the minimally disruptive XLIF procedure, but Mark wasn’t interested in surgery. Instead, he tried injections that only relieved his pain for a few weeks. Everyone Mark spoke with had terrible stories and told him not to go near spinal surgery. He stayed resolute against surgery until one afternoon when he was walking to lunch with his son and he had to stop and find a place to sit every half a block. It was at that moment that Mark knew he needed to go through with surgery.
Situation Today: Mark underwent XLIF surgery in November 2012. He was up and walking within 24 hours of his procedure and stayed in the hospital for just one night. When Mark returned home, he had family help him for the first four to five days, but after that he cared for himself. He used a walker and a back brace for the first two weeks and then used his hiking poles after that whenever he felt woozy. For postoperative treatment, Mark just walked in the beginning, but when he still had issues completing tasks such as tying his shoes, he opted to go to physical therapy. Mark was able to return to work and daily activities such as grocery shopping after about three months. Today he feels great and only occasionally suffers from minor discomfort. Mark has returned to his exercise program at the gym. He’s also back to gardening and working around the house, and he was hiking and canoeing eight months after surgery!
14-NUVA-968