Age: 75
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Surgeon: San Diego Orthopaedic Associates, San Diego, CA
Procedure: eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF®)
Surgery Date: June 19, 2013
Life Prior to Surgery: Richard struggled with back pain for three years. He tried to alleviate his pain with massages, steroid injections, and over-the-counter pain medications, but he was unable to manage it. Richard’s quality of life was diminished due to the intensity of the pain. “At the end, I was unable to live any kind of active life! My right leg pain became so severe I could not walk any distance at all. I was semi-homebound!” he says.
By the time his surgeon recommended the minimally disruptive XLIF procedure, Richard was willing to undergo any procedure that would relieve the agonizing pain in his leg and lower right side of his back.
Situation Today: Richard underwent XLIF surgery in June 2013. He was up and walking the day after surgery. Although he experienced surgical incision pain and minor back pain, Richard was confident he would make a full recovery. For postoperative treatment, he walked as a form of therapy. Only two weeks after surgery, he was completely pain-free.
During his recovery, Richard was limited in his activities and wore a back brace for additional support for three months. However, he remained extremely hopeful for the future.
Almost one year post-op, Richard is now back to his active lifestyle and is maintaining his rental units and even handling some light construction work! Additionally, he is climbing his favorite mountain, which is just about a mile and a half hike! “Next up is getting back on my road bike,” claims Richard.
14-NUVA-873