Mowing the lawn, walking for more than a few steps, standing - these are all things Ed could not do because of severe pain in the backs of his legs. The 76-year-old La Plata resident had been coping with limited mobility for five years. Although he had heard that back surgery necessitated a long and difficult recovery, Ed knew something had to be done.
Ed was suffering from spinal stenosis , the narrowing of the spine's bony canal. When the canal narrows, it squeezes the nerves inside, causing symptoms including back and leg pain, which can be debilitating, as well as leg weakness and numbness.
Imagine Ed's relief when he learned that neurosurgeon Jean-Marc Voyadzis, MD , could treat this disease using minimally invasive [Link: /services/minimally-invasive-spine-surgery/ ]techniques and an incision the size of a dime.
"It seemed like a miracle to me," Ed said.
"A number of recent studies have shown that this approach decreases blood loss and post-operative pain, allowing a quick recovery and faster return to work," Dr. Voyadzis said.
Ed can attest to that: his surgery took one hour, and he went home later that day.
"I felt a difference right away," he said. He was up and walking with pain the following day and could resume his normal daily activities immediately. "I didn't even have much discomfort from the surgery itself."
Today, Ed Taylor is back to an active life.
"It's just as if I never had any back or leg problems at all," he said.
Download Ed's patient story.