J21 — May 2009 — Marathon After Back Surgery

Intro: Lower back pain is very common. If you lift, bend or twist wrong, you can pull a muscle, pinch a nerve or even cause a herniated disc. Many times those injuries will get better on their own. Sometimes you need surgery. Here's a story about a woman with debilitating back pain who ran the Boston marathon soon after surgery to repair a bulging disc.

MARATHON RUNNER RENEE SAXMAN IS NO STRANGER TO PAIN. SO WHEN HER SYMPTOMS STARTED SHE THOUGHT MAYBE SHE JUST PULLED OR STRAINED SOMETHING.

"IT STARTED WITH WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A HAMSTRING PROBLEM."

BUT OVER TIME AND AFTER SEVERAL MARATHONS, THE PAIN IN RENEE'S RIGHT LEG AND LOWER BACK GOT MUCH WORSE.

"THE PAIN WAS SO BAD I JUST LAY ON THE FLOOR."

NEUROLOGIST DR. GREGORY CASCINO SAYS AN MRI REVEALED THE SOURCE OF THAT PAIN.

"THE RESULTS HAD INDICATED A VERY LARGE EXTRUDED DISC WITH COMPRESSION OF THE RIGHT S-1 NERVE ROOT."

"HE SAID, ‘YOU HAVE ONE BIG BULGING DISC.'"

THE BULGING DISC WAS PUTTING PRESSURE ON THE NERVE ROOT. AND THERE WAS NARROWING OF THE NERVE CANAL. NEUROSURGEON DR. WILLIAM KRAUSS AND HIS TEAM AT MAYO CLINIC PERFORMED THE SURGERY THAT STOPPED RENEE'S PAIN AND GOT HER MOVING AGAIN. THROUGH A SMALL INCISION, DR. KRAUSS USED A MINIMALLY INVASIVE APPROACH TO REMOVE THE BULGING DISC AND WIDEN THE NERVE CANAL. THE RESULT?

"I HAVE NO PAIN AT ALL."

RENEE SAYS THE PAIN WAS GONE IMMEDIATELY AFTER SURGERY AND WITHIN MONTHS SHE RAN THE BOSTON MARATHON.

"I'VE QUALIFIED FIVE TIMES AND I'VE RUN IT TWICE."

FROM BED-RIDDEN TO RUNNING MARATHONS. THANKS TO SUCCESSFUL LOWER BACK SURGERY.

FOR MEDICAL EDGE, I'M VIVIEN WILLIAMS.

Anchor tag:Not all types of back pain caused by bulging discs will be completely resolved by this surgery. All cases are different. But back surgery can be very effective for the right patient.

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