Seeking Relief from Debilitating Back Pain
A Difficult Journey Began at a Young Age
Although only 29, Chance had endured excruciating back pain for nearly half his life. An avid fitness enthusiast, Chance took up weightlifting in high school. Thinking he could do what he saw older guys do, he blew out a lumbar disc while deadlifting at age 15.
Thus began a life of chronic pain. He was unable to walk to or from class and had to lie on the classroom floor because he couldn’t tolerate sitting.
Over the years, Chance saw multiple specialists, underwent two unsuccessful spine surgeries, and received countless treatments. Lasting relief came from an innovative procedure at Cooper and Inspira Neuroscience, allowing him to return to his active lifestyle.
A Trail of Unsuccessful Treatments and Two Surgeries
After his weightlifting injury, Chance’s pain became intolerable. Wanting to avoid surgery, he underwent physical therapy, received epidural shots, and tried nerve-ending ablations. Nothing helped.
At age 16, he underwent a microdiscectomy: a small, minimally invasive procedure to relieve pressure on his spinal cord. But the surgery wasn’t successful. The pain, though slightly less, was still ever-present.
Chance began working out again, and while deadlifting a big stone, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. It felt the same as it had the first time.
He went through the same steps as before, with the same outcome. He couldn’t sit, and walking was painful. While still in high school, he underwent a second surgery. Things went well afterward—for a time.
“While Chance is young and strong, he had already gone through two prior surgeries for his herniated disc. With disc replacement surgery, he’ll be able to maintain normal motion, unlike a spinal fusion. He should enjoy a healthy, pain-free future.” – Dr. Fayed
Another Injury and Search for the Right Doctor
Chance returned to a healthy daily routine with regular exercise. He went to Gettysburg College, but still experienced painful flare-ups and frequent back spasms.
He learned to live with his discomfort until one day at the gym, when he felt the pain he had experienced 10 years earlier. He knew exactly what had happened. He consulted multiple neurosurgeons. One recommended a spinal fusion, but Chance knew it wouldn’t allow him to bend, twist, or flex his back. Fused vertebrae cannot move independently.
He was referred by another neurosurgeon to Dr. Islam Fayed, a renowned neurosurgeon at Cooper and Inspira Neuroscience.
Pain Free Thanks to an Innovative Treatment: An Artificial Disk
Dr. Fayed didn’t believe a third microdiscectomy would be effective and likely to add to the scar tissue from prior surgeries. Chance was too young for spinal fusion. That’s when he introduced a proven but less traditional approach: ADR, or artificial disc replacement.
Chance’s surgery was performed through the abdomen to remove the damaged disc. Space was created between the vertebrae, and an artificial disc was inserted. The ADR preserves motion rather than immobilizing the spine.
After six weeks of PT and six months post-surgery, he got the “all clear” to resume weightlifting and workouts. He’s back to his fitness routine and on the job, once more doing the things he loves.
