Are You a Candidate for the Vertiflex™ Procedure?
The incidence of lower back pain in the United States is growing thanks to an aging population. Experts predict that 65 million elderly adults will develop lumbar spinal stenosis by 2025, which is just a few years away.
The team here at Spinal Diagnostics is pleased to offer the FDA-approved, minimally invasive procedure called Vertiflex™ to answer this fast-growing need for a solution to this type of lower back pain.
If you want to explore whether you may be a candidate for Vertiflex, read on.
Understanding lumbar spinal stenosis
The first thing to understand about Vertiflex is that it’s specifically designed for those who suffer from lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Briefly, stenosis is a condition in which nerve space is reduced around your spine, which can occur in your spinal canal or in your intervertebral foramina, which are the bony openings where your nerves exit your spinal canal.
There are several reasons why this can occur, including:
- Osteoarthritis in your spine
- Degenerative disc disease
- Thickening ligaments in your spinal canal
While these are the most common drivers of LSS, the condition can develop anytime something encroaches upon your nerves, which also includes tumors or bone deformities due to an accident or a congenital condition.
The symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis
Spinal stenosis can develop gradually, and many people don’t feel symptoms in the earlier stages. Once the narrowing strikes a literal nerve, your symptoms may include:
- Pain in your lower back, especially with specific movements or positions (walking and standing)
- Pain that radiates down your buttocks and legs
- Numbness and tingling
- Loss of balance
- Weakness
These symptoms often go away when your back is at rest (lying down) or when you lean forward, taking pressure off the compressed nerve(s).
If you’ve developed problematic symptoms due to LSS, Vertiflex may be your ticket back to pain-free movement.
How Vertiflex works
Vertiflex is designed for LSS, and it works by creating more space around your compressed nerves.
At the heart of Vertiflex is a small device that we place in your spine during an outpatient procedure. There are several different spacers, which allows us to address LSS in a wide range of patients.
Once we guide your Vertiflex device into position, it releases small arms that create enough space for your nerves to function freely.
There are many benefits of the Vertiflex procedure, starting with the fact that it’s a minimally invasive procedure in which we don’t remove any tissues. This means that your recovery time is relatively minor compared to other surgical interventions.
As well, with Vertiflex, you realize almost immediate results, and you can finally ditch the medications that helped manage your symptoms.
Finally, Vertiflex offers a 90% satisfaction rating, which is excellent news for those who’ve struggled with lower back pain for far too long.
If you’d like to explore further whether you might be a good candidate for Vertiflex, contact one of our two locations in Tualatin or Newberg, Oregon, to set up a consultation.