NuBac disc requires a minimally invasive surgery.
By Jerry Hume
Thursday, October 08, 2009 at 1:11 p.m.
Read more: Local, Health
ONTONAGON -- We all at some point in time deal with back pain. For people who have Degenerative Disc Disease, the pain in the lower back can cause serious problems.
Four years ago, Stephanie Wysocki of Ontonagon wouldn't have been able to do a simple task like cleaning the floor. That's because she suffered from Degenerative Disc Disease.
"Every minute of my day was lived in pain,” said Stephanie. “I couldn't hardly do anything except sit on my couch; I couldn't pick up my two-year-old son, I had a hard time even going for walks or sitting for a long time at work."
Stephanie knew she had a major problem, so she came to Orthopaedic Surgery Associates of Marquette. And it's a good thing; turns out she was a prime candidate for a new procedure.
Stephanie was implanted with a small artificial disc in her spine.
“The NuBac is a ball-and-socket type disc and you put it in the spine through the disc wall,” said Dr. Matthew Songer.
Dr. Songer developed the NuBac disc with Pioneer Surgical Technologies in Marquette.
Unlike spine fusion or total disc replacement, two procedures that reduce back pain, the NuBac disc implant allows for movement of the spine through a minimally invasive procedure.
"It relieves pain in two ways,” Songer said, “you remove the damaged or diseased disc and secondly, you put in an artificial disc that slips into the place of the previous disc and takes and bares the load of the spine and restores the spinal movement and function."
The NuBac disc is currently undergoing a clinical study with 400 patients, and if approved by the FDA, it could be used by doctors across the country by 2013.
As for Stephanie, the NuBac disc appears to be working. She can now exercise and play golf with no back pain at all.
"The NuBac implants have made the greatest difference in my life,” Stephanie said. “They've given me my life back."
