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 If you suffer from chronic back or leg pain you could benefit from a new implantable device. The device helped one woman get back into the swing of things.
Most people don't enjoy spring-cleaning.
“I'm tickled to death I can clean them,” Barbara Mulvihill said. “Look what I can do now.”
For seven months Barbara lived with severe pain in her back and shooting down her leg.
“People would look at me and say, 'Barb, you can just see the pain in your face,' and I'd say, 'Well, I hurt!” Barbara said.
Barbara had spinal stenosis, which is a common arthritic condition in the spine. Doctor Antonio Castellvi said typically he would do a fusion surgery putting two rods in her back. But there's a new option called the TFAS device.
“It reproduces normal to near normal motion as compared to some of the other devices we are seeing out there,” Dr. Castellvi said.
The device allows movement compared to a rigid spinal fusion surgery.
“We are able to stabilize the spine eliminate the pain that comes from the facet joints and still allow motion,” Dr. Castellvi said.
Doctor Castellvi has performed 15 TFAS surgeries. Only 150 have been done worldwide and results have been excellent.
“We know how it works. We know why it works. What we don't know with certainty is will it be functioning and doing very well 10 years from now or 15 years from now,” Dr. Castellvi said.
Barbara said the implant allowed her to get back to life without pain. “I was just so glad I thought, Woo, look at this. I can move. I can walk. It doesn't hurt me,” she said.
And that means she can also get back to her favorite hobby piddling in her garden.
The TFAS device is still being tested and is not yet FDA approved. If you think it could work wonders and would like more information click here.
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