Spinal Stenosis Patient Finds Instant Relief After Years of Debilitating Leg Pain

Mrs. Togliatti had spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the space inside her spine that caused pressure on her nerves.

Every morning, the pain shooting down Donna Togliatti’s right leg was so intense that it was a struggle just to walk to the kitchen and make a cup of coffee.

Mrs. Togliatti had spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the space inside her spine that caused pressure on her nerves. “The pain was there all the time, but was more intense in the morning,” she said.

Mild Depressive Symptoms Result in Poorer Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Surgery Outcome: Study
Even mild depressive symptoms can weaken the outcome of lumbar spinal stenosis surgery, claims a study completed at the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital.

Mrs. Togliatti had lived with the pain for years. When it became so bad she needed a cane in the morning, she made an appointment with Loyola University Medical Center spine surgeon Bartosz Wojewnik, MD. Taking a conservative approach, Dr. Wojewnik prescribed physical therapy, pain medications and epidural steroid injections. After those treatments failed to provide more than temporary pain relief, Dr. Wojewnik performed a two-part surgery consisting of a spinal decompression and fusion.

“When I woke up from the surgery, my leg pain was completely gone,” Mrs. Togliatti said. “It was like a miracle.” Mrs. Togliatti’s condition was due to arthritis, the most common cause of spinal stenosis. Cartilage covering vertebral joints wore away, and new bone grew around the joints. This bone overgrowth, called spurs, narrowed the space surrounding the nerves. Enlarged ligaments due to chronic inflammation also lessened the space for nerves.

To decompress the nerves, Dr. Wojewnik removed boney spurs. This provided immediate pain relief. The arthritis also caused instability in the spine. Vertebrae were moving more than they naturally would, contributing to compression. To ensure the pain relief would be long-lasting, Dr. Wojewnik stabilized the spine by fusing together two vertebrae with rods and screws.

New Anatomically Based Classification for Diagnosing Cervical Spinal Stenosis Developed By Researchers
A new, clinically meaningful scale of severity for diagnosing patients with cervical spinal stenosis was developed by physician-researchers at the Rothman Institute at Jefferson.

Spine surgery can be successful when done for the right reasons, Dr. Wojewnik said. “If, after trying everything else, you do the right procedure on the right patient at the right time, you can provide great results and make patients very happy.”

Mrs. Togliatti is among those happy patients. “Dr. Wojewnik gave me back my quality of life,” she said.

Use of Corticosteroids in Injections for Spinal Stenosis Does Not Provide Any Additional Benefits in Reducing Pain
A new study has found that combining glucocorticoids with the local anesthetic lidocaine in epidural injections did not provide any additional benefit in reducing pain.

Dr. Wojewnik is an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

Steroid Injection may Lead to Worse Outcomes in Patients With Spinal Stenosis: Study
According to a study, for patients with spinal stenosis, epidural steroid injections (ESI) may actually lead to worse outcomes—whether or not the patient later undergoes surgery.

Source-Medindia