No assistance needed

Sandra Commorato, the practice manager for Baptist Primary Care South Hampton, said back problems run in her family. Her father and two of her siblings have undergone spine surgeries.

Despite living with a couple of bulging disks, which can lead to pain and mobility issues, Commorato was able to evade the surgeon’s scalpel for years.

That was until recently when she moved to a new house.

“After bending and lifting a bunch of plastic storage totes, my back got worse,” she said. “I tried physical therapy and pain injections, but nothing was helping.”

It got to where Commorato needed a cane to get around at home and work. Eventually, her back became so weak, she needed assistance just to get to and from her desk.

“I couldn’t walk 20 feet without someone’s help. That’s when I knew I needed to consider surgery,” she said.

Minus the pain and cane

After undergoing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of her spine, Commorato met Ashutosh Pradhan, MD, a neurosurgeon with Lyerly Neurosurgery at Baptist Medical Center South.

“He went over the results of the MRI and then outlined my surgical options. His explanations made me feel confident I was in good hands,” she said.

Commorato’s biggest goal going into disc replacement surgery was to be able to walk without a cane again. She also didn’t want to miss too much time from work.

Because her spine surgery was minimally invasive – meaning it required only a small incision – Commorato didn’t have to stay overnight at the hospital. Her recovery period at home began with small daily walks and exercises to strengthen her trunk and core stomach muscles.

“I read books, played with my dog and relaxed to let my body heal,” she said. “I had relatives taking turns helping me around the house because I wasn’t allowed to twist or bend for the first few weeks.”

As her energy picked up, Commorato started taking longer walks with her dog and performing light housework. After about a month of downtime, she returned to her busy primary care practice, minus the cane and debilitating back pain.

“When I showed up at Dr. Pradhan’s office for my first follow-up appointment, the staff couldn’t believe how different I looked,” she said. “I was in so much pain the last time they saw me. I couldn’t even manage a smile.”

Life-changing experience

Some people may put off spine surgery for any number of reasons, but there are many advantages to robotic surgery, including smaller incisions and less scaring. Baptist Health was the first health system in North Florida to offer this alternative surgical procedure.

“My advice to people is to research all your options, make an educated decision and then find the right surgeon for you,” said Dr. Pradhan, who has provided meticulous care to patients with back pain in the Jacksonville area for nearly 20 years. “The truth is, I would not perform these minimally invasive spine surgeries if my patients didn’t benefit from them.”

Now that she is back riding her bike on the weekends with her husband, Commorato plans to try some hiking next.

“The surgery literally changes your life. I’m able to do things I couldn’t a year ago,” she added. “You can barely see the one-inch scar on my back. If I need additional surgery down the road, I would do it without any hesitation.”

If you’re experiencing acute or chronic back pain that interferes with your daily life, make an appointment with the experts at Baptist Health by calling 904.202.BACK (2225) or learn more by visiting baptistjax.com/back.