One moment, Kaz Samiec of Perkiomenville was driving in his car. The next, he felt excruciating pain in his back. “That was it,” says Kaz. “I couldn’t even move. I couldn’t get out of bed.”
The situation was particularly problematic for Kaz, who works as a toolmaker from home while also caring for his two young children.
“I couldn’t do anything,” Kaz recalls. “I couldn’t play with them. I’m a stay-at-home dad. It was difficult.”
But now Kaz is back to his daily routine following treatment at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center (PMMC) for his problem – a herniated disc in his lower back.
It’s one of many spinal disorders tackled by PMMC and its doctors.
Are herniated discs treatable without surgery?
Herniated discs occur when the center of a disc, a
combination of connective tissues that holds one vertebra to
the next and acts as a cushion between the bones, becomes
displaced. When the disc fragment lies near the nerve, it causes
inflammation and pain. If the fragment traps the nerve against
bone, numbness and/or weakness can occur.
Treatment can include physical therapy and steroid injections, which decrease the inflammation of the nerve. In time, the herniated disc fragments can be slowly broken down by the body’s white blood cells, which may eliminate the need for surgery.
“Long-term studies have shown, at one year, the result is the same whether the patient has surgery or not – the disc goes back in,” said Dr. James T. Guille, an orthopedic surgeon with Brandywine Institute of Orthopaedics in Pottstown. Brandywine doctors perform surgery and other procedures at PMMC.
Kaz opted for steroid injections – a series of three shots given over the course of several weeks. Kaz received them at PMMC after seeking treatment for his pain from Dr. Linda P. D’Andrea, another of Brandywine’s orthopedic surgeons.
What spinal disorders are treated at PMMC?
Besides disc herniation, the doctors treat many other
spinal disorders including arthritis of the spine, which
happens when the discs wear out and the bones rub painfully
against each other, and scoliosis, a disorder usually diagnosed
in children in which the spine is curved.
“It’s a unique spine practice in that we treat patients of all ages,” Dr, Guille says proudly. “I can see a baby with scoliosis or a 90-year-old lady with back pain.”
Dr. Guille describes the patient population he and his colleagues treat as about evenly split between children and adults. While some of the pediatric patients have scoliosis, many have less serious problems.
“A lot of kids are coming in with back pain from wearing heavy backpacks,” explains Dr. Guille. “It’s very, very common. We see girls who weigh 60 pounds carrying 20-pound backpacks.”
Adults seeking treatment vary in age. “A fairly significant number,” Dr. Guille remarks, are younger than 40 years old.
When is surgery necessary?
Most seeking treatment don’t need surgery. But some
do, such as those suffering from nerve compression in the
spine that causes muscle weakness or complete numbness.
“That’s an acute situation – a true emergency,” Dr. D’Andrea says. “That doesn’t happen too often.”
When those conditions present themselves, surgery can improve the situation, assuming the nerve damage hasn’t gone too far.
Should I call a doctor?
Spinal disorder patients experience a vast array of
symptoms but they often include a deep ache, sharp pain
and/or muscle spasms in the neck or back. Patients may
have nerve irritation that radiates into the shoulders and
arms or into the buttocks and legs. If the neck or back
pain doesn’t go away after taking an anti-inflammatory
medication and a short rest, if it is accompanied with
tingling or weakness in the arms or legs, if it’s pain that
keeps a patient up at night, it’s time to call a doctor.
That is what Kaz Samiec did.
“I’m hoping this will take care of the problem,” Kaz concludes. “So far, so good.”
PMMC Spinal Surgeons
Dr. James Guille
Dr. Linda D'Andrea
Dr. Jeffrey Yablon
