Medical Miracle End Crippling Back Pain
Santa Monica doctor performs revolutionary procedure
By Roger Scott | April 26, 2010
A 65- year- old man suffering with crippling lower back pain is back on the golf course thanks to a revolutionary procedure performed by world-renowned Orthopedic Surgeon, Rick Delamarter, MD. The patient underwent four- level lumbar artificial disc replacement surgery which not only eliminated his constant pain, but also restored the motion in his back allowing him to resume activities he had given up years ago.
The patient suffered with chronic low back pain for twenty years, deciding in January of 2007 he could no longer live with the relentless pain that prevented him from walking more than ten minutes or working more than half a day. Traveling was practically impossible and physical therapy only made the pain worse. Today, a little more than three years after the four-level artificial disc replacement surgery, the patient plays golf up to four times a week, walks seven miles easily and takes no pain medication at all. The greatest additional benefit is the restoration of motion he has experienced.
The Pro-Disc-L is made from two metal endplates that are anchored to the top and bottoms surfaces of the vertebrae and a plastic inlay that fits between the two endplates.
A board-certified orthopaedic surgeon, Rick Delamarter, MD is a pioneer and world leader in artificial disc replacements, motion preservation technology, non-fusion technologies and minimally invasive spine surgery. He is a leading researcher on spinal cord injury, the use of growth factors for fusion and the use of stem cells to repair degenerative disc disease. He was among the first to use growth factor tissue engineering for intervertebral discs, multi-level artificial disc replacement for both the lumbar and cervical spine, and other novel medical devices for dynamic stabilization and minimally invasive spine surgery. He continues to advance the field of artificial disc replacements and motions preservation with increasingly improved design and functionality of the device.
Dr. Delamarter is the Vice Chair for Spine Services at the Department of Surgery and Co-Medical Director at the Cedars-Sinai Spine Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He is also the Medical Director of the L.A. Spine Institute in Santa Monica.
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Comments to date: 1. Page 1 of 1. Dawn Newport Beach | 12:00pm on Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 | Have you ever considered writing on John Regan, MD? Or Frank Coufal, MD? They have multiple stories like the above and are available to the Orange County Community at OC Medical Group in Anaheim. |
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