"I walked that same evening."

In April of 2007, Astrida Rozenbergs, 69, went to her family doctor, Naji Khairallah, MD, in Paw Paw due to constant lower back pain.

"The pain made it hard for me to walk long distances or to stand up," says Rozenbergs. "Sitting and sleeping was less painful, unless I had to turn at all."

The pain had been bothering her on and off for about two years, but starting in March of 2007, she lifted many heavy boxes during a move and the pain became constant.

Dr. Khairallah ordered an X-ray in April and an MRI in June. The tests showed that she had slight arthritis in her back and right hip as well as LSS, or lumbar spinal stenosis. LSS is when the spinal canal gets so narrow that it squeezes the nerves. This can sometimes cause leg, buttocks, groin and back pain. It typically affects patients 50 years or older.

"I tried to get rid of the pain with medication," she says. "I also tried quite a few sessions with a chiropractor, but the pain continued."

Dr. Khairallah referred Rozenbergs to Raghu Singh, MD, a neurosurgeon at Bronson. "She was a great candidate for the X-STOP® IPD® system, a new technology that offers a minimally invasive alternative for LSS," says Dr. Singh.

The procedure involves placing a small titanium alloy implant between the problem disks in the patient's spine. It only takes about 45 to 90 minutes and patients usually have a quick recovery time.

On December 5, Rozenbergs had the X-STOP® procedure and the pain was gone. "I walked that same evening," she says. "Before the surgery, it seemed like my feet were numb and I could only walk about half a block. Now I can walk far and can stand for a long time. I would definitely recommend Bronson and this procedure to others."