Bermudian orthopaedic spine surgeon Duane Pitt has some valuable advice for people who have begun to experience back discomfort.
“If you feel something is not right, say something”, said Dr Pitt, who heads up Bermuda Spine Centre on Point Finger Road in Paget, as well as a practice in the United States, spending half of every month at each.
The veteran of 26 years in private practice and more than 30 years doing spine surgery said: “There is a normal fear of the unknown and spine surgery sounds very serious. Many people avoid seeing a professional out of fear of surgery.
“Fortunately, only 1 per cent of patients with spine-related symptoms seeing either their primary care physician, pain management or the spine surgeon will need surgery.”
He added: “Most issues can be treated conservatively. Delaying care out of fear can leave a person with permanent neurologic issues such as arm or leg weakness, or bladder dysfunction requiring a diaper for life. Seek treatment early by a spine specialist to avoid lifelong disability. Most people don’t need surgery!”
Dr Pitt said the most common issues facing middle-aged people are related to a simple herniated disc, spinal stenosis, or arm pain and leg pain.
“These issues and symptoms are often treated successfully under the supervision of your primary care physician or the spine surgeon specialist.
“When non-operative treatments have failed, the surgical solution in my hands is often a minimally invasive outpatient surgery using a one-inch incision in most cases. Success rates are in the vicinity of 95 per cent.”
Wear and tear
Dr Pitt said the causes of these issues are related to the normal age related, naturally progressive, degenerative process.
“Think of it as normal wear and tear like we see with any machine. For people, this wear and tear goes by many names: degenerative arthritis, spondylosis.
“Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid the normal ageing process but there are things that we all can do to strengthen our bodies to reduce the risk of having major symptoms.
“This includes exercise, light stretching. Avoiding obesity, which will reduce the physical mechanical loading on already wearing joints, can extend the lifespan of those joints.”
Dr Pitt said back pain typically affects 84 per cent of the population and is often related to normal ageing, posture, lack of exercise or internal organ issues.
“Issues such as kidney stones are not uncommon. Cancer is a very rare cause of back pain at a rate of approximately 1.3 per cent. The best thing we can do to control back pain is exercise, light stretching, and the occasional anti-inflammatory.
“Always discuss medication with your primary care physician prior to use as some medications can interact with others you may be taking.”
Dr Pitt said patients are surprised to find some ailments can be treated by an orthopaedic spine surgeon. “Most people do not associate issues with their bladder function, numbness in their private area or hip pain as related to a spine condition.
“In fact, one of our most ominous emergencies is a cauda equina syndrome where the nerves in the spine are compressed to the point that the patient experiences some of these same symptoms.
“If not treated within 24 hours, the patient is three times more likely to have a permanent neurologic deficit and permanent bladder dysfunction and possibly weakness.
“Too often people wait assuming the wrong cause and do not seek medical attention. The CES diagnosis is often missed by non-spine surgeon physicians.”
Bermuda Spine Centre has, since 2007, offered a wide range of services including scoliosis treatment, artificial disc replacement, minimally invasive spinal surgery, treatment for herniated discs, minimally invasive spinal fusion and more.
The focus is on conservative spine treatment for neck and low back pain, including trunk stabilisation physical therapy, various types of medications, activity modification and therapeutic injections.
Expert treatment
Dr Pitt said various surgery options are available to the patient who has not responded to conservative treatment programmes, and they often benefit positively from skilfully applied spine surgery intervention.
Patient care begins with a personal consultation with Dr Pitt, who will assess your condition, develop a tailored care plan, and initiate treatment to address your pain. Diagnostic studies or labs are ordered as needed.
On your follow-up visit, Dr Pitt will review the diagnostic results and implement a precise, individualised treatment strategy designed to meet your specific needs.
Dr Pitt said he is the only Bermudian spine surgeon with specialty training and more than 30 years of experience doing minimally invasive spine surgery.
“Using this experience will allow patients the opportunity of a much faster recovery, less surgical pain, and far fewer soft tissue related complications.
“My lumbar microscopic laminectomies, for example, can take as short as 35 minutes to accomplish with a one-inch incision and a 98 per cent chance of resolving a patient’s leg pain.
“This is among the many minimally invasive surgeries available in Bermuda under my care.”
For more complex issues, Dr Pitt said he often uses Legent Orthopaedic Hospital in Carrollton Texas, which is used predominantly by more than a dozen orthopaedic and neurosurgeons who specialise in spine. He said most surgeries at this single specialty hospital are spine related with some general orthopaedic cases as well.
Dr Pitt said his staff are accustomed to managing patients who fly to the US for him to do their surgery from Bermuda, the Caribbean, Africa, Canada and more.
“We are more than capable of managing any spine related issues to include complications from other surgeons.
“It is unfortunate that patients are forced to wait for treatment due to limited local resources. Long wait times have become the norm.
“In many cases, treatment can be provided quickly along with pain relief. Patients who move towards non-emergency surgery without first completing all conservative medical management options are often faced with increased complications and adverse outcomes.
“There is no reason to wait. Come in for a consultation to discuss your options. As a spine surgeon, I am here to save your lifestyle and improve quality of life.”
