Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1518194
Health Matters: Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center | 5 'Like a Miracle' The transformative power of minimally invasive spine surgery W hen Oak Park resident Beverly Biggerstaff started experiencing immobilizing leg pain last summer, she knew something was seriously wrong. "It was bizarre. I just woke up one morning and couldn't walk," recalls Biggerstaff, age 75. "It was a terrible, debilitating pain—I was crying." She soon discovered that walking bent over, looking at her toes, was the only way to alleviate the excruciating pain in her leg. On the verge of retirement from a 32-year career as a kindergarten teacher, Biggerstaff was looking forward to having more time to do the things she loves. This includes serving as a docent at the Getty Museum and visiting family in France. Her plans, however, came to a halt when she was diagnosed with a complex spinal disorder, which was causing her leg pain. EMBRACING SURGICAL INTERVENTION Biggerstaff's treatments began conservatively, with things like rest and then epidural injections. Unfortunately, the unbearable pain persisted, and she soon realized that surgery might be her only option. When conservative treatments fail to provide relief, spinal surgery may be necessary to improve a patient's quality of life. For Biggerstaff, the prospect of a complex spine surgery made her fearful that she would have to endure a prolonged recovery time and potential complications. These fears subsided, however, once she met Justin D. Cohen, MD, a highly skilled neurosurgeon at Providence Cedars- Sinai Tarzana Medical Center. Dr. Cohen's expertise in using minimally invasive techniques gave Biggerstaff hope that she would soon be able to avoid invasive procedures and resume her normal, active life without extensive downtime. Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) has become a popular option for patients because of its many benefits over traditional open spine surgery techniques. Open spinal surgeries involve making large incisions and dissecting muscles, which lead to longer recovery times and more postoperative pain. With minimally invasive techniques, surgeons can now use much smaller incisions, causing minimal disturbance to surrounding tissues while achieving successful results. Michael Neveux Photograph