After a series of spine surgeries left a 69-year-old man reliant on a wheelchair or cane, multiple centers were unable to help his complex case: a partially fused spine with a forward/side-leaning stoop which also compressed nerves, causing sciatic leg pain. Additionally, a previous weight-loss surgery complicated his presentation. The patient could no longer enjoy time with his grandchildren, fish on his boat, or take a walk on the beach with his wife.
After consulting several other surgeons who could not help him, the patient came to Brett Rocos, MD, assistant professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, for revision of spine surgery. “No physical therapy or increasing muscle strength would have been enough to correct this patient’s spine,” Rocos says. “We’re the last line for patients like this. Either we do it or no one does.”