Is your aching back keeping you from enjoying an afternoon out shopping with friends or your favorite workout? You may not have to let back pain rule your life anymore, thanks to innovative treatments available at North Fulton Hospital.

Whether you need conservative treatment or advanced surgical procedures, NFH is prepared to provide you with some of the highest quality care possible.  And now you have an option for minimally invasive surgery, right here in your backyard.

Step One: Pain Management

If you are experiencing acute or chronic back pain but do not currently need to undergo surgery, the Pain Control Center at NFH has a wide range of pain management options available.

“The best treatment option for an individual patient depends on where the pain originates in the spine. Once we diagnose the source, we can begin conservative treatments,” says Ken Joel, MD, pain management specialist at NFH. “Options can include epidurals or radiofrequency lesioning, which interrupts nerve conduction and reduces pain.”

Dorsal column stimulator trials are also available for people experiencing chronic pain. This treatment involves a stimulator that is implanted on the dorsal columns of the spine, which then sends a signal to the brain to ease pain.

In addition to offering pain treatment options, the Pain Control Center staff helps educate patients about positive lifestyle changes that can work in conjunction with medical modalities to relieve pain.

“Educating patients is just as important as the interventions we perform,” says Dr. Joel. “We teach patients about maintaining core strength to reduce back pain and can refer them to a physical therapist if they need more instruction.”

Step Two: Kyphoplasty

For patients with spinal compression fractures due to osteoporosis or tumor, kyphoplasty may be a good treatment option. Developed in the late 1980s, this minimally invasive procedure offers pain relief to patients without serious health risks or recovery times.

“Kyphoplasty is an excellent treatment option for patients with fractures due to thinner bones,” says James Waldschmidt, MD, MBA, neuroradiologist at NFH. “This procedure can also be performed on any part of the lower or middle spine.”

Patients are given local or general anesthesia when they undergo this procedure. While using a real-time X-ray, the physician inserts a needle with a balloon catheter attached through a small incision into the broken part of the bone. When the balloon inflates, it compacts the bone; cement is then injected through the needle, which will fill in the weak part of the fractured bone and can restore the bone’s natural shape. The balloon is then removed.

“This procedure offers great benefits for patients who want a solution for back pain,” says Dr. Waldschmidt. “Patients are typically released from the hospital the same day and experience good outcomes.”

Step Three: Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

New options are available if you are considering spine surgery. For many years, spinal surgeries were performed as open procedures, meaning patients would experience longer recovery periods after surgery.

“Today, thanks to specialized equipment and new surgical techniques, we are able to perform what would traditionally be considered an open surgery through a minimally invasive approach,” says Charles Weaver Jr., MD, PhD, neurosurgeon on staff at NFH. “Making smaller incisions provides many benefits to patients.”

Traditional open surgery typically requires patients to stay in the hospital for three to five days, with a six-to eight-week recovery period. With minimally invasive surgery, patients can leave the hospital in one to two days and typically recover in four to six weeks.

“Patients also experience reduced postoperative pain and less blood loss with minimally invasive spine surgery,” says Dr. Weaver. “We are proud to offer these advanced procedures to the community.”

For more information about spine care services available at North Fulton Hospital, click here. 

North Fulton Hospital (NFH), part of Tenet Georgia, is a 202-bed, acute-care hospital located on Highway 9, Alpharetta Highway, in Roswell.  Opened in 1983, NFH serves North Fulton and surrounding counties through its team of over 1000 employees, 400 staff physicians and 200 volunteers.  NFH is a state-designated Level II trauma center and provides a continuum of services through its centers and programs, including neurosciences, orthopedics, rehabilitation, surgical services, gastroenterology and oncology.  The hospital is fully accredited and also is certified as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.