Frankfort Woman's Severe Back Pain Eliminated by Surgery at Silver Cross

By Tracy Simons | Silver Cross Hospital

Frankfort resident Mary Lou Anderson didn’t just wake up one morning with a sore back, instead her pain became progressively worse over the years.

“The pain in my back would take my breath away. It was as if a searing knife was stuck in my back and the intensity literally stopped me from moving whether I was standing, walking or sitting,” said the 50 year-old legal assistant. “At one point the pain would shoot down my right leg and then as time went on I couldn’t even feel any sensation in my leg.”

After getting no relief from pain injections and physical therapy, her family practice physician, Dr. Christopher Udovich, referred her to orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Chintan Sampat. It was then determined she had a crushed nerve on her right side and spinal stenosis, so Anderson had surgery to fix her spine on June 10 at Silver Cross Hospital.

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Since Anderson’s nerve was so badly compressed, Dr. Sampat had to do a lumbar decompression to release the nerve. He then inserted four screws and two rods to help stabilize the bones and fix her slipped spinal bone, also called a spondylolisthesis.

“I couldn’t understand how Mary Lou was walking at all since she had such severe nerve damage and spinal stenosis,” said Chintan Sampat, M.D., orthopaedic surgeon with Parkview Orthopaedic Group. “Ms. Anderson did very well with the newer state-of-the-art minimally invasive technique, which helped decrease the operative risks, blood loss, and time needed to recover.”

“I am so grateful to Dr. Sampat for his extensive knowledge and commitment to repairing my spine,” said Anderson. “He wasn’t going to just put a ‘Band-Aid’ on my pain and use medications. He was very empathic and recognized that my pain solution was beyond using drugs and that I needed surgery to fully repair my back. He also made me feel safe and explained the process clearly and straight forward. Dr. Sampat is an amazing doctor!”

After surgery, Anderson spent a couple days on Silver Cross’ inpatient unit and a few days as an inpatient therapy patient at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago at Silver Cross Hospital. After a couple of days, she even amazed the nurses and therapists as she easily walked and rode the exercise bike. Once she returned home, nurses from Silver Cross’ Home Health Care visited her to monitor her wounds and perform well being checks. Then she completed two months of physical and occupational therapy at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago at Silver Cross’ outpatient clinic at 250 E. Maple St. in New Lenox.

Now a mere 12 weeks later, Anderson takes no pain medications and can return to work. “I can even walk and ride a bike for a mile and exercise for an hour – all pain free!” exclaimed Anderson.

“I will be forever appreciative to the Silver Cross nurses, aides, and therapists,” stated Anderson. “They understood my limitations and were careful not to hurt me, but still knew when to push me safely to do more. The compassionate and expert care I received from them and Dr. Sampat was like none I’ve ever experienced before.”

Free Lecture on Low Back Pain

Join Dr. Chintan Sampat, orthopaedic surgeon with Parkview Orthopaedic Group, for a discussion on advanced treatment options to help you feel better. This program is part of the Aches & Pains lecture series and all participants will receive a GIFT BAG valued at $125 which includes a certificate for a complimentary joint, back, or pain management screening performed by a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician from RIC at Silver Cross Hospital, and other items to help you stay active. The program is free and will occur on Tuesday, Sept. 15 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Silver Cross Hospital Conference Center at 1890 Silver Cross Blvd., New Lenox. Register to attend at www.silvercross.org or by calling 1-888-660-HEAL (4325).