Medical Reports: HEALTHCAST: Back Pain

WSVN -- It doesn't take long to figure out what gets Victor Bertrand's motor running. When he has free time, he's in the garage with his son.

But a few months ago, something unexpected put the brakes on his favorite hobby. A bad back prevented him from standing for more than a few minutes.

Victor Bertrand: "It was very uncomfortable. I couldn't do a lot of things that I liked to do all the time."

He suffered from a condition called spinal stenosis. That's when arthritis develops in the spine, causing the nerves to compress.

Victor Bertrand: "The thing is the only way to relieve it is to sit down. If I'm working in the garage, I have to look for a place to sit down for a little bit, and then I'd get back up, and it's good for a few minutes. Then it would come back."

In the past, the only real way to prevent the pain was by undergoing a risky surgery requiring a long hospital stay and eight weeks of recovery.

Victor Bertrand: "What do you think of that?"

But now, doctors have a new way of treating patients where they implant a small device called an X-stop. It creates a space between portions of the spine and stops it from extending.

Dr. Sohaib Kureshi: "The reason why it's called the X-stop is because it prevents extension."

The procedure takes less than an hour, requires only a small incision, and the recovery is quick. In most cases, patients are up and walking the same day.

Dr. Sohaib Kureshi: "We can give them a procedure that will change their lives signifigantly for the better."

It took away Victor's pain.

Dr. Sohaib Kureshi: "We put the X-stop in there, and it stopped instantly."

Now, he can once again enjoy his two favorite pastimes -- his family and his cars.

Scripps Mercy Hospital
619-686-3787