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Take a walk on the MILD side
Breakthrough, outpatient pain relief procedure available
Mountain Vista Medical Center is proud to offer mild (Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression), a new, safe and effective alternative that is the least invasive surgical procedure for treating Lumbar Spinal Stenosis (LSS).* And it leaves no implants behind. Usually performed on an outpatient basis, mild allows most patients to go home the same day and resume normal activities within days.
More than 1.5 million Americans suffer from chronic pain and immobility caused by LSS, a degenerative, age-related narrowing of the lower spinal canal that causes pressure on the nerves. The prevalence of LSS is predicted to increase even further with the aging of the Baby Boomer population.
Many address their LSS symptoms with either pain medications or steroid injections, but these treatments either eventually stop working or just wear off. For years, the next line of treatment for LSS has been lumbar spine decompression surgery involving the insertion of artificial implants (interspinous spacers), removal of portions of the vertebrae and attached ligaments (laminectomy), and/or fusion of the spine. Now, patients have a significantly less invasive surgical option with mild.
Developed to treat LSS patients earlier in the treatment continuum, mild may be appropriate for those who are no longer responding to physical therapy, pain medications and/or steroid injections but who do not want to undergo more invasive lumbar spine decompression surgeries. These surgeries often involve weeks or months of recovery time, and involve leaving artificial implants or other hardware behind, which may deteriorate or fracture.
For more information on mild at Mountain Vista Medical Center, please call 1-877-924-WELL (9355). Additional information is also available at www.vertosmed.com.
* Vertos mild is FDA market cleared for treating central canal stenosis of the lumbar spine.
Spinal Compression Fractures
A spinal compression fracture occurs when the bones in the spine, called vertebrae, get so weak that they fracture and collapse. Spine fractures can be caused by a fall, spine overextension, or from simple movements, such as coughing or sneezing. Spinal compression fractures are most common for patients who have experienced a spinal fracture in the past or have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, cancer or low bone mineral density. Pain from a spinal fracture can be mild or severe, spread out or limited to a specific area, and may develop gradually.
At Mountain Vista Medical Center, interventional radiologists on the medical staff use a variety of diagnostic tools such as CT scans, MRIs and bone scans to determine if a patient is suffering from a spinal compression fracture. The interventional radiologists on the medical staff can perform several minimally invasive surgical procedures to treat spinal compression fractures, including vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. In these procedures, interventional radiologists relieve pain by stabilizing spinal fractures and the spine.
Kyphoplasty involves placing small needles in the back. Through these needles, small balloons are used to restore the shape of the collapsed vertebral body. Cement is then injected to stabilize the fracture and promote pain relief.
Click here to learn more about interventional radiology and for more information about interventional radiology services at Mountain Vista Medical Center.
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