Health and Wellness: Following spine surgery, local teacher is ‘100%’

Submitted by UNC HEALTH JOHNSTON

On her worst days, sixth grade teacher Laura Burke, 44, of Clayton, stretched out on her classroom floor during planning periods to get relief from her lower back pain.

She took medicine every day and sometimes wore a brace. It hurt to sit or stand. Sometimes, when she walked down the hall, a bolt of pain shot down her leg, so intense that it took her breath away, and she nearly collapsed.

For 20 years, off and on, she saw chiropractors and physical therapists. She thought of surgery as a last resort, a risky option at her age. Her mother had back surgery several years ago, and the result was not great.

It was her mother, a retired nurse, who researched surgical options for her daughter. This led Burke to see Dr. Michael W. Madsen, an orthopedic spine surgery specialist, to undergo a lifechanging surgery in March.

“I am pain-free for the first time in years,” Burke said. “I’m thrilled with my results.”

The root of Burke’s problem was a collapsed disc at the base of her spine. It stemmed from an old injury when she was a runner in her 20s. During surgery, Dr. Madsen placed screws in Burke’s bones and pushed them farther apart from each other, un-pinching the nerve causing her pain. He then locked down the screws to maintain their position.

To help him precisely place the screws, Dr. Madsen used a computer-assisted surgical navigation system paired with a fluoroscopy device called the O-arm. It produces 3-D images and looks similar to a CT scanner when fully extended, but is portable, has shorter radiation exposure and gives the surgeon real-time images.

“Compared to conventional techniques, the O-arm unlocks the ability to do more complex surgeries through smaller incisions,” Dr. Madsen said.

After surgery, Burke spent two nights in the hospital and was up walking the same day. At home, she continued her recovery by walking every day. She was back at work in six weeks.

“My back pain sucked my energy, and I always felt exhausted,” she said. “Now I’m back on track. I feel 100%.”

UNC Health Johnston is now offering spine surgery. In complex cases, Dr. Michael W. Madsen, an orthopedic spine surgery specialist, uses a computer-assisted surgical navigation system paired with a fluoroscopy device called the O-arm.