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Dr. Jim Andrews performs new procedure for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis [UPDATED]

Published 9:12am Monday, January 7, 2013 Updated 11:16am Monday, January 7, 2013

Each year, 1.2 million patients are diagnosed or seek treatment for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis (LSS), a medical condition in which the spinal canal narrows and compresses the spinal cord causing back pain, difficulty standing or walking for extended periods of time and numbness. Lake Region Healthcare is now able to offer individuals with this condition a relatively new procedure option called mild (Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression).

According to Dr. Jim Andrews, “mild” is a choice he can now offer LSS patients who, due to age or medical condition, are not surgical candidates.

This procedure is used to reduce pain and improve mobility in LSS patients. Prior to “mild” the only two options for treating LSS were conservative care and open surgery. “This option serves those people who are not able to have surgery and does so with minimal complication rates,” Andrews said.

Dr. Andrews has been performing this procedure at LRH since October 2012, with many successful procedures already completed. Norm Schoening of Fergus Falls, for example, suffered from constant back and leg pain for 20 plus years.

Just two hours after undergoing the “mild” procedure, Norm says he was back on the street with no leg or back pain.

Dr. Andrews received specialized “mild” training at a cadaveric lab in California that included extensive didactic training and hands-on instruction. The next nearest location to receive this procedure is in the Minneapolis/St. Paul region.