Back pain is one of the most common causes of lost work in the US, with herniated discs the focal point of the pain. Now, a new procedure is helping patients with disc problems get back on their feet.

Andrew Hudson enjoys playing golf. It’s hard to believe he had back surgery six months ago. “it got to the point where I couldn’t walk. You have trouble speaking because you hurt so much all the time.” Heavy lifting resulted in four ruptured discs and a pinched nerve. After exhausting all non-surgical methods, he was sent to neurosurgeon, doctor Brent Faircloth.

“If somebody is becoming paralyzed, you’ve got to operate on them.” But for many people, back surgery can involve greater risks. “The old operation, you make an incision in the middle and you would pull the muscle away from the bone. The problem with that is healing. It hurts!”

So Doctor Faircloth performed the minimally invasive Metrix procedure on Andrew through this small incision. How does it work? “Make an 18 millimeter incision, go down, split the muscles, put the tube in. I bring a microscope in, then operate through that tube. Take off the small piece of bone, find the nerve, find where it is pinched, bring that nerve to the side, that part that’s sticking up, I take that out. I take out enough of the inside, not all of it, but enough, so the capsule will seal and then close.”

The nerve is repaired and the operation is complete. It takes about an hour and a half. Most people go home the same day. “Nine weeks from surgery, most people, 92 percent of people with surgery return to full activity.” That goes for Andrew also. “Within six weeks. I haven’t felt this good in 20 years.”

There are some things you can do to alleviate back pain. Limited rest combined with exercise and education is the main mode of therapy, and an ice bag or hot water bottle applied to the back will help along with taking anti-inflammatory drugs.

Some back pain relief medications:

• Celebrex pain relief drug - a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) which relieves pain and inflammation (swelling). It is used to treat pain, swelling and stiffness due to arthritis.
• Ketorolac pain relief drug - used for the short-term treatment of moderate to severe pain in adults, usually after surgery.
• Ponstel pain relief drug - used for the short-term treatment of mild to moderate pain from various conditions.

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