没有痛苦的生活会是什么样子? That question crossed Dan Owens' mind numerous times as he lay in bed for nearly a year. 丹忍受着难以忍受的背痛, 勉强从两张床之间挤过去, 附近的浴室, 椅子就在几英尺远的地方.
"If pain is measured on a scale from one to 10, I was at 20,丹说. “我想尽了一切办法来解脱."
Dan had always been active, leading an ambitious lifestyle focused on providing for his family. Work in the retail industry meant large amounts of travel and long days on his feet. 丹开玩笑说，他经常觉得自己战无不胜. 他做运动, 开始了几项业务, 当新的机会出现时，他们会勇敢地转换职业领域. 但在20世纪90年代末，丹开始体验 脖子和背部疼痛.
After a ruptured disc and neck surgery involving fusion and pin placement, 丹形容自己感觉“一团糟”.“他患上了神经病, 神经损伤引起疼痛的一种情况, 麻木, 手脚无力. 在丹的例子中, 神经病扩散到他的腿上, eventually contributing to his decision to retire from the work he loved.
因为他繁忙的生活方式让位于疼痛治疗, Dan threw his remaining energy into treatments such as physical therapy, 按摩保健, 按摩, 和针灸. 但似乎没有什么能让他感觉好些. Soon, Dan was managing only a few steps per day using a walker for assistance. Dan's zest for life began to falter, and his family was fearful of his rapid decline.
在他人生的最低谷, Dan describes his pain as deeply emotionally and physically distressing, 导致毫无价值和悲伤的感觉.
“我不希望我的生命就这样结束，”丹回忆道. “我不能离开家——我绝望了."
He had seen several physicians in his hometown but felt like none offered comprehensive solutions to fully manage his condition. Dan and his family were confused and discouraged by differing diagnoses and treatment plans.
2018年8月，有人提到了丹 Dr. 马库斯Mazur, a surgeon focused on complex spine disorders at University of Utah Health's 临床神经科学中心.
"When I met Dan, it was clear he was in a tremendous amount of pain," Dr. Mazur说. "He also had weakness in his legs and difficulty with his balance. 他希望大发娱乐能尽快创造奇迹. 但首先大发娱乐需要找出问题的根源."
丹惊讶地发现手术并不是第一选择. Dr. Mazur建议首先解决疼痛管理问题, explaining Dan would handle a complex surgery better if his pain was under control and his body was gaining strength.
"Dr. Mazur explained the problem in a way we could understand,丹说. “没有快速的解决办法，但我从他治疗的愿望中看到了行动. 他想用正确的方式来做，我相信他."
经过一系列的测试和成像后. 马祖尔诊断丹患有先前未确诊的疾病 脊柱侧凸, but still wanted to pinpoint the neurological cause of Dan's most severe pain so it could eventually be treated through surgery.
Dr. Mazur immediately recommended water-based physical therapy to recondition Dan's muscles, which had severely atrophied after months of being unable to move properly. The two met several times over the course of three months to evaluate Dan's pain and progress. Dan's pain was slightly improved, but he was still experiencing abnormal weakness. 核磁共振显示 脊髓狭窄或由关节炎引起的严重狭窄 椎间盘退行性疾病它对脊髓和神经施加压力. Dan的狭窄位于T12-L1椎体, 导致他的腿无力, 失去平衡, 麻木, 以及使人衰弱的疼痛.
Dr. 马祖尔和丹有条不紊地制定了手术计划, choosing to optimize relief by focusing on decompression of severely arthritic facet joints and removal of the herniated disc material. 由于切除关节突关节会导致关节不稳定. Mazur将在释放收缩区域后融合脊柱.
“大发娱乐的选择是要么治疗他的脊柱侧凸, which would require an extensive 8-level spinal reconstruction and several months of rehabilitation, 或者只治疗最狭窄的部位, which would require a 1-level operation and a much shorter recovery," Dr. Mazur解释说. "Although the smaller operation might seem more appealing from a recovery standpoint, it carries the risk of potentially causing the scoliotic deformity to worsen over time. We didn't want to do an operation that would lead to a lengthy recovery, but we also wanted to avoid negatively affecting Dan's spinal alignment."
Dr. Mazur and his surgical team performed a posterior decompression and fusion operation, using an open approach (incision) to clearly view Dan's spine anatomy and extent of compression. Dan's spine was rotated from 脊柱侧凸, making this intricate surgery even more complex. Dr. Mazur placed screws in the T12 and L1 vertebrae to stabilize the spine. He artfully maneuvered around the spinal cord to remove the arthritic joints causing spinal cord compression from the back, 从前方施加压力取出突出的椎间盘. Once the spinal cord was free from pinching disc fragments and overgrown bone, Dr. Mazur finalized the operation by placing the patient's own bone alongside the instrumentation so the T12 and L1 segments could fuse together and provide stability to the decompressed area.
Most patients undergoing similar surgeries remain in the hospital for around four days, beginning basic physical and occupational therapy the day after the surgery. 患者大约需要4到6周才能康复, 通常在6到12周内恢复手术前的功能.
Dr. Mazur cautioned Dan to retain realistic expectations about movement and recovery, 但丹觉得他终于迎来了奇迹. 手术后的第二天, 丹注意到他的腿没有刺痛感和麻木感, 并且能够站立和行走.
"For the first time in recent memory, I could feel my legs," Dan recalls. “我甚至可以站起来走路，但我想跳舞. 我很高兴."
Dan continued to build strength and coordination through regular physical therapy, 他的腿完全恢复了活动能力. 他的 脊柱侧凸 手术后情况稳定. Mazur将继续密切关注它.
"The surgery helped Dan a lot, and he's put in his share of the hard work to recover," Dr. Mazur说. "He'd lost a lot of conditioning and muscle tone after being bed-bound for 12 months. 丹做了一个有意识的改进决定. 这需要很大的专注力和决心. 他完全改变了."
现在, 丹说未来是光明的, and he plans to appreciate his retirement the way he originally intended. He and his wife of 37 years just bought new cruiser bikes and invested in a home treadmill to stay healthy. He's excited to swim, take short hikes, travel, and dote on his grandchildren.
“我一直想继续工作，保持忙碌，”丹说. “现在我能做的没有限制. 我可以享受我的生活和我的家庭. 身体健康的感觉真好."
Dan和Dr. Mazur encourage anyone experiencing debilitating pain to seek help. 有充分协调的资源来诊断脊柱病变, 制定一个全面的治疗计划, 同时大发娱乐提供非手术和手术脊柱护理, 犹他大学健康临床神经科学中心 可以大发娱乐.
丹引用了. Mazur的平静, 全面的方法, which built trust and helped him feel confident about undergoing surgery.
"大发娱乐知道. 马祖尔有一个计划，他会全力以赴，因为他有这个能力, 工具, 并接受了相应的培训,丹说. “大发娱乐的祈祷得到了回应."
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Spinal surgical options may be an effective treatment for patients with trouble standing and walking, 对于那些遇到稳定问题的人, 狭窄(关节炎, 神经压缩), or alignment issues from 脊柱侧凸 or degenerative changes over time. For more information on improving your quality of life through these procedures, 或者找个脊椎护理专家, 请浏览 临床神经科学中心.