Return to Main Menu

New treatment for lower back pain offered by Megan Fink Public Relations Close to 64 million people in the United States are living with chronic back and leg pain, and that figure is expected to rise as the baby-boomer generation ages.   A new spinal implant used in some back surgeries at MUSC could result in increased mobility, fewer complications and a speedier recovery than the traditional method of treatment.   MUSC is one of 20 sites selected to participate in the second phase of a national clinical study, which will compare the artificial joint called the Total Facet Arthroplasty System (TFAS) with the more conventional spinal fusion surgery to treat moderate-to-severe spinal stenosis, a progressive disease constricting the spine. Because of the study’s success during its initial phase, the Food and Drug Administration has approved the expansion.   The spinal implant stabilizes the spine while enabling natural motion after removal of bone and tissue, which had been bearing pressure on nerves. Unlike fusion, the spinal disc remains intact. TFAS takes the place of the facet joint in the lumbar region of the back. Neurosurgeon Bruce Frankel, M.D., is the chief investigator for TFAS at MUSC. Frankel, who specializes in minimally invasive and complex spinal surgeries, has performed three TFAS procedures to date. “The patients are doing very well after implantation of this innovative new device,” said Frankel.   One of the patients is retired Army 1st Sgt. Weltner Broome. Broome has dealt with chronic back pain for the last 10 years and wanted a long-term solution to his ailment related to his disc disease located between spinal vertebra levels L4 and L5. The 74-year-old Seneca native received the implant in August and reports his recovery has been “great.” He has even returned to the fairway to play golf with friends. “I’m at a point in recovery, just after three months, that would take fusion patients 12 months to reach,” said Broome. “I still have some sciatic pain, but it’s nowhere close to what it was prior to surgery. And there’s no pain at the surgical site.”   MUSC is still accepting patients into its TFAS clinical trial. Some stipulations to participate include the presence of leg and/or back pain for at least six months; and previous participation in various physical therapy programs, which failed to quell the pain.   The first five patients who meet study requirements will receive the implant. After the fifth procedure, patients will be randomly assigned to receive either the TFAS device or a standard fusion of the spine; the latter being the control, or unchanging, portion of the study.   For information on the replacement device, or to speak with an MUSC doctor involved in the study, contact Bonnie Muntz-Pope, R.N., study coordinator, Department of Neurosurgery/Research at muntzpob@musc.edu or 792-8967.     Friday, Jan. 18, 2008 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.