Lincoln radiologist performs new surgery that significantly reduces back pain

Between 700,000 and 1.5 million Americans suffer from extreme back pain caused by vertebral compression fractures. While the condition can be treated, recovery can be painful and take a while. A newly available procedure aims to change that.

Three patients in Nebraska have already benefited from the procedure, virtually erasing previously unbearable pain.

“It got so bad that I couldn’t stand or do anything but just lay down in the bed,” said 76-year-old Duane Cassem.

For around a month Cassem experienced some of the worst pain in his life. Just before Christmas he suffered a compression fracture in one of his vertebrae rendering him almost immobile.

“I would literally cry because it was so severe. It would almost drop me to the floor because of the severity of it and I couldn’t tolerate it anymore,” said Cassem.

Soon after the calendar turned to 2019 he visited Bryan West where they recommended a newly FDA–approved procedure to cure his pain.

The SpineJack.

Similar to a car jack, SpineJack is a tiny device inserted directly into the vertebrae. Then, it’s expanded to restore it close to its original size before being kept in place by bone cement.

Up until late last year, patients who wanted this procedure had to travel to Europe where doctors have been performing it for the past ten years. Dr. Michael Budler, an interventional radiologist in Lincoln who performs surgeries at Bryan, was one of the first ten physicians in the U.S. to be trained on the procedure. He’s the only one in the state who’s qualified and has already performed three procedures.

So how does it work?

“We make two small knicks in the skin. We use real–time X–Ray guidance to needles into the anterior two–thirds of the fracture portion,” said Dr. Michael Budler. “Once those needles are in the fracture portion we are able to put the jack that’s closed into that portion that’s fractured and we essentially jack up the vertebral body. We’re trying to preserve normal anatomy.”

The outpatient procedure only takes about 30 minutes and the recovery period is short.

“Early data shows the SpineJack will decrease pain more so than the current treatment at six months and 12 months and it also decreases adjacent level fractures,” said Dr. Budler.

For Duane, life went from agonizing to nearly good–as–new.

“I really feel that it’s the greatest thing that was ever done to me. The pain is gone, and everything’s normal. I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done for me,” said Cassem.

The Bryan Medical staff anticipates future SpineJack procedures to help alleviate the pain of fractured vertebrae.