To get rid of the pain in her leg, Marilyn Turczyn, 73, had to have surgery on her back.
While back surgery is nothing to undertake lightly, Turczyn’s experience couldn’t have been better. Her operation at IVCH by spine specialist Jason Bergandi, MD, was over in minutes, and her relief was immediate. Pain in her right leg that had bothered her for 20 years was gone thanks to the new X-STOP® procedure.
Turczyn, of Peru, has lumbar spinal stenosis, a degenerative condition that starts in the back and radiates pain down the arm or leg. The pain comes from nerves that have become pressed or pinched because of gradual changes to the lower spine caused by aging.
After looking at an MRI scan, Dr. Bergandi’s solution for Turczyn’s discomfort was to insert a titanium implant—the X-STOP® spacer—into her spine to increase the space around the vertebrae, thus taking pressure off the nerves and easing her pain.
“The first time [Dr. Bergandi] came into my room after surgery, he said ‘Is that pain gone in your leg?’ and it was,” says Turczyn, a mother of five children, grandmother of 14 and great-grandmother of three more. She and her husband, Edward, celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary last year.
Why we love X-STOP
Dr. Bergandi, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, likes the X-STOP treatment because it requires only a small incision.
“There’s no change in your anatomy,” he says. “We’re not removing bone or ligaments or taking anything out of your body.”
And the procedure is reversible—the implant can be removed and other treatments tried if pain relief is not as great as expected. “We’re not burning any bridges,” Dr. Bergandi says.
Another advantage for both doctor and patient is that X-STOP surgery only takes 15 minutes.
“It takes longer to put you to sleep than to do the surgery,” Dr. Bergandi says.
Recovery time isn’t bad either. The Turczyns stopped for lunch before going home the day Marilyn Turczyn was discharged from IVCH, and she says she never had to take any of the pain pills Dr. Bergandi prescribed for her. She also says she can roll over without pain when she goes to bed at night, something she couldn’t do before.
Now it’s your turn
You can make an appointment with Dr. Bergandi to discuss X-STOP surgery by calling Illinois Valley Orthopedics at 815-223-2143.
The shopping cart test
How can you tell if X-STOP® surgery can help you? Orthopedic surgeon Jason Bergandi, MD, suggests taking the shopping cart test the next time you go to the grocery store.
“If your back pain is lessened by leaning on a shopping cart, you’re a candidate for this surgery,” says Dr. Bergandi, who notes that people who have lumbar spinal stenosis frequently find relief by leaning over. “Ask yourself, do you use a shopping cart to pick up a gallon of milk?”