Konrad Bright hears “surf’s up” and he’s out the door. Living on the beachfront in Oahu, Bright is a pro-surfer—stand-up, kite-surfing and tow-surfing—and the bigger the waves the better. His other sports interests include jet skiing, swimming, outrigger canoe paddling and mountain biking. “Everything came to a grinding halt when I blew out my back while surfing a couple of years ago,” Bright said.
In extreme pain, Bright searched out the best solution for his problem. After reaching several dead ends, Bright found Todd Lanman, MD, a board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in the treatment of spinal disorders at Saint John’s Health Center. Dr. Lanman is a leading authority on artificial disc replacement and minimal access surgical techniques performed through micro-incisions. “My practice is dedicated to the relief of pain and motion preservation. My goal is to keep patients as active as possible,” said Dr. Lanman.
The conventional treatment for severely damaged discs is to remove the discs and then use bone grafts from a patient’s hip or from a cadaver to fuse adjoining vertebrae together. “But many patients are reluctant to use bone grafts because fusion limits mobility,” Dr. Lanman said. “With artificial disc replacement, we insert an implant in between the affected vertebrae after removing the damaged disc.”
The mechanical movement of artificial discs, which are made of titanium and high molecular weight polyethylene, is closely comparable to normal movement within the vertebral segment. “Using artificial discs, we are able to restore normal disc height and achieve nearly complete pain relief, while preserving mobility,” said Dr. Lanman.
Dr. Lanman, who has performed artificial disc replacement on many athletes, found Bright to be a good candidate for the procedure. “He had two degenerated disks in his lower spine and was very motivated to return to his active lifestyle,” Dr. Lanman said. “After surgery, patients need to be willing to engage in exercise therapy for about eight weeks. I do half the work and the patient needs to do the other half to achieve optimal results.”
“I was walking around within a week, and two months later I was jet skiing,” recalled Bright, now 46. “Four months later, I was kite-surfing 30-foot waves, and I paddled 45 miles soon after. I am able to do everything I did before I had back problems, and I know that my back will never give out on me again.”