Car crash survivor avoids paralysis after less invasive spine surgery
By Admin | May 11, 2023
After surviving a rollover crash due to an intoxicated driver in August 2022, a Michigan landscaper avoided paralysis – and a long, costly recovery – thanks to a minimally invasive spine surgery that is gaining popularity.
The car came from several lanes over. Ralph Moore, 42, remembers sticking out his arm to shield his wife before they spun out and flipped.
Allison Moore only suffered minor injuries, some whiplash and seatbelt bruising. But in the center of US-10 near Ludington, Mich., Ralph Moore felt numbness on the left side of his body. A disc that protects his thoracic spine had ruptured and entered his spinal canal.
“I couldn’t feel my leg and would fall when I tried to walk,” said Moore, who has owned a landscaping company in Hart, Mich., for 18 years. “Any time of the day, the pressure on my spine caused me to lose all power and feeling in my left side.”
Many patients with a herniated disc in their thoracic spine don’t require surgery and can instead be treated with rest, anti-inflammatory medications and physical therapy. But for Moore, the quickly worsening symptoms represented a ticking clock.
“Patients with this condition who go untreated with aggravating symptoms can progress rapidly,” said Osama Kashlan, M.D., a neurosurgeon at University of Michigan Health. “The thoracic spinal cord does not do well with pressure from the herniated disc. If Mr. Moore had waited longer, he could have...(More)
For more info please read, Car crash survivor avoids paralysis ,Eurek Alert
