BackCare

New device could help back pain

21 Jul 2009

A story published in the Daily Mail on 21 July details the use of a new device to help ease back pain.

The small titanium Coflex device is a u-shaped piece of flexible metal which is inserted between two vertebrae. It is designed to act as a shock absorber to replace the function of discs which may deteriorate in this function as we age and to stop discs from collapsing.

Sarah Sayer, a secretary from Hampshire, was one of the first people in the UK to have the Coflex device fitted. Ms. Sayer had been living with back pain for many years but was coping with the pain by exercising and taking pain-killers. However, after an incident caused Ms. Sayer to hear a crack in her back she found herself immobilized due to the pain. After a trip to the GP she was prescribed painkillers and put on a waiting list to see a specialist. However, a four month wait proved too long to suffer with the pain she was experiencing so Ms. Sayer opted to see a private specialist.

Mr Andrew Quaile a consultant spinal and orthopedic Surgeon, saw Ms. Sayer and gave her an MRI scan which identified a slipped disc which was pressing on to nerves and causing great pain. She was given anti-inflammatory injections to reduce the pain and swelling around the disc and take the pressure off the nerves. However, the relief offered from this was short term and Ms. Sayer was beginning to lose sensation in her leg so Mr. Quaile decided that surgery to remove the disc was the best option. He said: “We always try to solve back pain without an operation and I'd hoped anti-inflammatory injections would help. But by February this year, I realised that we weren't getting anywhere.”

After the operation Mr. Quaile explained to Ms. Sayer that during the surgery he had identified two wobbly discs that were beginning to collapse. He informed her that to correct this he had used the Coflex device to stabilise her back as an alternative to the traditional fusion of vertebrae procedure which can result in restricted movement and effect mobility. He said: “The whole procedure took about an hour and the spring should not need replacing. And because the procedure is less invasive than traditional surgery, complications such as bleeding and infection are less common and there is a shorter recovery time.”

Since her operation in March Ms. Sayer has returned to her normal life. “Now my back is in great shape” she says. “I look after it by swimming and having regular physiotherapy, but I'm back in the garden and cycling again. I'm so glad I had this operation - it's let me get on with my life.”

For more information on the Coflex device and other surgical devices speak to your doctor/specialist.

To read the full story click here