Midlands Cares: A new fix for back issues – without losing mobility
Tyler Ryan learns about a new device that help fix your back without fusing it
COLUMBIA SC (WOLO) – Chronic back problems impact millions of Americans, and traditionally when the issues rise to the need for surgery, there has been traditionally one option – fusing vertebras together. The issue with fusing parts of your back are the fact that you lose the ability to move certain ways, and ultimately, can cause pain in other areas of the back.
According to MUSC Health Neurosurgeon Brett Gunter, “depending on how you are made, how long you have lived, or how you have lived,” the vertebra in your spine slip forward, it can cause a great deal of pain. The time honored process of treating the condition was to weld them together, and use rods and screws to hold everything in place. The Doctor points out, however, that this can leave the patient with mobility issues and with less flexibility.
According to Gunter, there is a new device, called TOPS, which provides the support that fusion can provide, but with parts that move independent of each other, leaving the patient with their mobility.
Gunter says that recovery is quick, and the goal is to have the patient return to normal activities as soon as possible. In fact, Gunter says, after the procedure, “there are no restrictions…you can live your life as normal as possible.”
You can reach out toe Doctor Gunter HERE.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tyler Ryan is an award winning television and radio personality, weather forecaster, writer, investigative journalist, and professional emcee. He appears daily on ABC Columbia’s Good Morning Columbia, as well as hosting the syndicated radio program Carolina Cares on the South Carolina Radio Network, and the iHeart Radio Network. Tyler also regularly appears as a criminal expert and journalist on regional and national crime based programs like Snapped and Killer Couples. You can contact him directly via EMAIL Or on the socials: Tyler’s Instagram // Tyler’s Facebook
