NEW PROCEDURE TO TREAT BACK PAIN NOW AVAILABLE AT MEDICAL WEST

For patients suffering from back pain due to lumbar spinal stenosis, each day can be a struggle. The painful symptoms include aching back and leg pain worsened by prolonged standing and walking. Thankfully, a new minimally invasive procedure, the X-STOP Interspinous Process Decompression (IPD) System, has recently been developed to treat pain caused by this disease.
The X-STOP IPD System is the first alternative to conventional spinal decompressive surgery shown to significantly decrease symptom severity and improve physical function. The X-STOP device is a titanium metal implant designed to fit between the spinous processes of the vertebrae in the lower back.

The device is inserted through a small incision during a short procedure and will remain safely and permanently in place without attaching to bone or ligaments. The device keeps the space between two spinous processes open, so that when you stand upright, the nerves will not be pinched or cause pain. Dr. Chambers, Neurosurgeon at UAB Hospital and Medical West, said, "Because it is a minimally invasive surgery, the procedure is associated with a low rate of complications and a rapid recovery."

Dr. Chambers is a Principle Investigator of the COAST trial, a study to evaluate the long term outcomes of the X-STOP therapy, and one of the few surgeons in the Birmingham area who performs this procedure. For more information about lumbar spinal stenosis and the X-STOP IPD System, please visit www.kyphon.com. Appointments in the Neurosurgery Clinic may be scheduled with a referral from a primary care physician by calling (205) 481-7938. A referral and prior imaging studies are required for an evaluation.