Gibson Area Hospital & Health Services | Gibson gets it! | Fall/Winter 2019

10 www. GibsonHospital.org APPROXIMATELY 80% OF ADULTS are estimated to experience back pain or injury during their lifetime. The spine is a complex structure. When your lower back hurts, it may be bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments or nerves that are involved. It may take some examination and investigation by your doctor to find out just what’s wrong. Lower back pain can be triggered by something as simple as bending or reaching or by lifting something heavy. It may also be related to being overweight, smoking, sleeping in the wrong position or having too much stress. Kids may get back pain from an overloaded backpack. All ages can hurt from changes in the disks between bones in the spinal column. A bulging disk can put pressure on nerves in the spinal cord. A dried-out disk may be an ineffective shock absorber, leading to pain. As Gibson City resident Melanie Dammkoehler learned from her own back pain experience, sometimes the spinal canal narrows, putting pressure on nerve roots inside the canal. And sometimes Tell your doctor if you have back pain— tests can help reveal the source We’ve got your Hear from the expert “I saw Melanie at Gibson Area Hospital after she was referred to me by Dr. Mark Spangler,” says Emilio Nardone, MD. “After an MRI, she was found to have lumbar stenosis that was causing leg pain and difficulty walking. She underwent lumbar decompression via an approach sparing much of the bone and ligaments in order to minimize the stress of surgery to the spine structures, as well as preserve the stability of the spine in the long run. This technique also helps speed up recovery and with less pain. It is part of a minimally invasive way of surgically treating spine disorders.”