SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Half a million people suffer from a painful back problem called spinal stenosis. The wear and tear through the years actually narrows your spine where the nerves pass through. Now, a new device is helping people get their backs back into shape.

Just a few months ago, 68-year-old Harry Roussos had to quit coaching. The pain and numbness in his legs was just too severe.

"It hit me pretty hard," Roussos said. "I was dribbling the ball, and I shot the ball. The way I turned, it impacted my lower back."

Saint John's Health Center and Director of Research at the Spine Institute Hyun Bae, M.D., implanted a spring called COFLEX into Roussos' spine. The goal: to relieve the pressure on his spine and nerves.

The U-shaped titanium alloy device is inserted between two vertebrae, propping up the narrowed spinal canal.

"It's not stiff because it is this titanium," Dr. Bae said. "That really provides that spring."

Traditional fusion surgery, where the vertebrae are fused together, limits mobility, and it means one year of recovery, leading to more back pain. The COFLEX allows you to retain flexibility and means only one month of recovery time. But it will stiffen with age, and it's only available to those with leg and back pain.

Two days after Roussos' surgery, he was back on the pitch.

"As soon as I rolled out of the surgery room, the pain was gone," Roussos said. "I can dribble the ball. I can shoot."

Only 35 patients in the entire U.S. have the COFLEX, but more than 25,000 people in Europe have one.

Bouncing Back From Back Surgery -- Research Summary

BACKGROUND: Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of one or more areas in the spine. This narrowing can put pressure on the spinal nerves or spinal cord. Depending on what nerves are compressed, there can be numbness in the legs, back, shoulders, and arms, limb weakness, and problems with bladder and bowel function. Many people have evidence of spinal stenosis on X-rays, but have no signs or symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they often start gradually and worsen over time. The most common parts of the spine affected by spinal stenosis are the neck and lower back. Symptoms vary, depending on the location of the stenosis. This condition usually comes with age and wear and tear of muscles and tendons. Surgery is needed in severe cases. The typical surgery to fix spinal stenosis is spinal fusion, which stops the pain but limits mobility substantially. COFLEX is the newest surgery option for spinal stenosis. (SOURCE: The Mayo Clinic)

COFLEX: The COFLEX is titanium "U-shaped" spring that goes in the spine to support the back. This new device is rapidly taking over spinal fusion surgery. Backs must be able to twist, stretch, and bend in all directions and the COFLEX device aims to restore full mobility and stop back pain. The device provides a spinal dynamic stabilization without the use of screws. The implant is designed to be surgically placed between the spinous processes, which are the bones we can see and feel in our backs. When the COFLEX has been implanted it creates space in the spinal canal by restoring the space in between vertebrae. This space makes for larger spaces for nerves and nerve roots to pass through, thus, eliminating the symptoms of spinal stenosis. (SOURCE: COFLEX spine study)

CANDIDATES FOR SPINAL STENOSIS: Candidates for spinal stenosis are individual patients who are suffering from moderate to severe spinal canal stenosis and are between the ages of 40 and 80. These people should have spinal instability and have undergone at least six months of conservative care, including one epidural injection that didn’t provide relief. Conservative care includes; pain medication drugs and other un-invasive treatments. Lastly, to qualify, candidates must not have had a spinal fusion. (SOURCE: COFLEX spine study)

AFTERMATH OF THE SURGERY: COFLEX implants require a minimally invasive surgery, and possibly a much better alternative to spinal fusion. Spinal fusion may take a year of recovery time while COFLEX's recovery time is only one month. (SOURCE: BioPortfolio)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Lisa Cano
lcano@laspineinstitute.com
310-828-7757