Emergency surgery
Kevin Gulley, 39, from Newton, Mass., wanted to do everything he could to avoid surgery for his repetitive low back pain. For two years, cortisone injections allowed him to exercise and stretch. But, finally, one injection actually contributed to the damage in his back.
"The pressure from the injection caused the disk to rupture further, until pieces of it actually began to break off. I couldn't stand. I couldn't get up to use the bathroom. I had to crawl over the face of the tub to take a shower before I went to the hospital. And then I ended up basically having emergency surgery."
Gulley was eligible for minimally invasive surgery. Entering through a small incision, the surgeons were able to remove only the part of the disk that had ruptured.
Gulley woke from surgery to find that his pain had been dramatically reduced. After four months of rehab he was active again and pain free for the first time in two years. He has maintained a watchful, intense exercise regimen for the past seven years.
"Whenever I have the slightest twinge in my back I get right to the gym and I stretch for half an hour," says Gulley, "because that is not happening to me again."
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