Golf legend addresses lumbar spinal stenosis pain

Lee Travino hits the links once again

Lee Trevino, who spent 22 years on the PGA tour and won many major tournaments, has suffered severe back problems throughout his life, including lumbar spinal steonosis or LSS.

This narrowing of the canal that contains the spinal cord is the most common reason for back surgery in people aged 65 years and older in the United States. As the spinal canal shrinks, the nerves passing through it are compressed, often resulting in severe pain, weakness or numbness in the back, buttocks and legs.

For many people, the only relief is leaning far forward as they sit, stand or walk. In 2004, Trevino was so debilitated by the pain caused by LSS that he couldn't golf or do simple tasks like dressing himself.

After Trevino received numerous steroid epidural injections without satisfactory relief, Trevino's orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Ralph Rashbaum, recommended the X-STOP IPD system, a minimally invasive surgical procedure marketed by Medtronic, Inc.

Dr. Rashbaum believed this procedure might retain the rotation in Trevino's spine, allowing him to return to playing golf while alleviating his pain.

According to Dr. Rashbaum, the only other surgical alternative, a standard decompressive laminectomy, might have rendered Trevino's spine unstable and may have prevented him from playing golf.

In 2005, before the X-STOP IPD system was approved in the United States, Trevino traveled to Germany for the X-STOP spacer. Relief was almost immediate, and he was playing golf 30 days later. Today, Trevino still plays periodically on the PGA Champions Tour. While Trevino received satisfactory results, this therapy is not for everyone, and every patient should consult their physician to see if the X-STOP spacer is right for them.

"I have always been an active guy, but prior to the X-STOP system, there were days when I simply couldn't get out of bed. I couldn't do anything," Trevino said. "I was desperate for relief from the pain, as I know many people suffering with LSS must be. I want to help those people understand that there are treatment options that may help them get better.

"The X-STOP spacer allowed me to get back to enjoying the game I love so much, as well as living a more normal life," Trevino said.

The X-STOP system, the first minimally invasive interspinous process decompression device approved in the United States to treat the symptoms of LSS, has been available in the U.S. since November 2005.

Based on a patient's medical condition and history, it may be an option when other conventional treatments, such as physical therapy and epidural injections, are no longer effective or if a patient does not want to undergo conventional LSS surgery. For more information about lumbar spinal stenosis and the X-STOP spacer, go to www.xstopspacer.com.