Your spinal canal contains your spinal cord and a large number of major connected nerves. If your spinal canal narrows or collapses, pressure on nerves can cause chronic back or neck pain. Spinal canal narrowing is known as spinal stenosis, and it’s more common in adults in the United States than you might realize.
At Total Spine Institute, Dr. Andrew Fox and Dr. Ryan Mattie treat spinal stenosis using the Vertiflex™ Procedure Superion™ Indirect Decompression System. If you’re suffering from nerve pain symptoms that could be caused by compression around your spine, visit our locations in Sherman Oaks and Calabasas, California.
How does this revolutionary treatment method help with spinal stenosis and resulting symptoms? Let’s take a closer look at how the system works.
To understand the benefits of the Vertiflex Procedure Superion Indirect Decompression System, you need to know more about the causes of spinal stenosis symptoms.
Your spinal stenosis symptoms depend on the location of the affected area of your spine. If your upper (cervical) spine suffers from spinal stenosis, you’re more likely to experience neck pain or even pain or numbness radiating into your arms. Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) affects your lower back and can cause symptoms in your legs and feet as well.
What causes spinal stenosis? Spinal stenosis can occur for several reasons. Often, degenerative changes in the spine due to osteoarthritis cause bone spurs to form, narrowing the spinal canal. If a spinal disc herniates, inner material from the disc spills into the spinal canal, putting pressure on neighboring nerves.
Degenerative disc disease, tumors, and fractures can also result in spinal stenosis and pain symptoms.
While the team at Total Spine Institute recommends using the most conservative treatment plan that can effectively address your symptoms, in some cases, you may need surgery to fully resolve spinal stenosis. You may also need pain medication management support while you undergo treatment.
The Vertiflex Procedure works to relieve pain associated with LSS, including leg and back pain. The treatment relies on the Vertiflex Superion implant, an FDA-approved interspinous spacer. With the Superion spacer in place and active, your spinal canal experiences pressure relief.
The implant is available in multiple sizes, so the team at Total Spine Institute can fully customize your treatment. This type of treatment won’t limit the range of motion in your lower back like spinal fusion surgery would. And you should know that the Vertiflex Procedure is also completely reversible!
The Total Spine Institute team performs this minimally invasive procedure on an outpatient basis. We insert your implant using a small tube about as big around as a dime. This approach minimizes trauma to your lower back tissue, reduces blood loss, and shortens your overall post-procedure recovery time.
If you’re suffering from spinal stenosis pain and want an alternative to traditional spinal surgery or conservative care approaches, the Superion implant might be right for you. To learn more and determine if you could be a good candidate, contact the team at Total Spine Institute today. Schedule your initial consultation online or call now to book.
