PHOENIX — A growing medical trend is helping cure something 80% of Americans will experience in their lifetime – back pain, which is a leading cause of disability, work loss, and doctor visits.
Donna Alonso recalls the very moment it happened. She was lifting a cedar chest filled with family keepsakes, and when she put it down in another room, she felt excruciating pain in her back.
"For probably four months, I was walking bent over like the old hag of snow white," Alonso said.
One single chore slipped a pair of vertebras out of place, pinching a nerve. Simple things like putting on socks or getting out of bed became painful. But no pain compared to not having the ability to care for and pick up her 5-year-old grandson, Curtis.
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"It broke my heart, he's so little," Alonso said.
Alonso tried medication and injections without permanent relief. It wasn't until Banner Health neurosurgeon Dr. Pelagia Kouloumberis suggested a growing trend for back pain relief: robotic spine surgery.
Under the guidance of a doctor in the room, Kouloumberis says the robot is more accurate than a human would be and has the ability to do X-rays during the 3-4 hour surgery.
"It increases our precision, it increases our operative time, it decreases radiation exposure for the patient, and for the entire surgical team and improves our accuracy," Kouloumberis said.
Alonso says the recovery wasn't overnight, but instead it was gradual. She knows there will be a day she can't pick up her grandson anymore, but that day isn't today.
The neurosurgeon says robotic spine surgery typically comes after trying other medications or injections. Every back pain is different, but the doctor says doing yoga, tai chi, moderate exercise, managing weight, and not smoking all help prevent throwing out your back.
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