Paul's Story

Paul is Back at Work After Complex Spine Surgery

Paul Bennett was dealing with crippling back pain that made working at the job he loves virtually impossible. For the past 38 years, Paul has been a floral designer—a career that kept him standing all day to design arrangements and lugging heavy buckets of water up and down the stairs.

“It’s a physically demanding job and my back couldn’t take it anymore,” says the 62 year old. Paul had developed a herniated disc and previous surgeries complicated matters. After discussing his options with orthopedic spine surgeon, Sanjog Mathur, MD, Paul chose to have his spine surgery at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital.

Zachary Levine, MD

Sanjog Mathur, MD

“Our surgeons perform hundreds of spine-related orthopedic and neurosurgical procedures each year,” explains Zachary Levine, MD, medical director, Neurosurgery, Holy Cross Health. “We offer expert diagnosis, the latest surgical technology and skilled staff to support advanced procedures like minimally invasive spine surgery.”

In 2015, Holy Cross Hospital earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Spine Certification. That same high level of care is also in practice at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital.

For Paul’s surgery, Dr. Mathur performed three procedures in all: a laminectomy, discectomy and spinal fusion. “His herniation was quite large, plus he had instability in his back,” says Dr. Mathur. “The procedure, which took about six hours, was further complicated by scar tissue from his previous surgeries. I had to free up nerves to remove the disc and then fuse the last two levels of spine together.”

Dr. Mathur was able to perform the complex spine surgery through a five-inch incision, compared to much larger incisions that would have been used in the past. “The advantages of a smaller incision are less pain and a faster recovery,” Dr. Mathur says. “Today, we offer many new surgical techniques to improve patient outcomes.”

Paul was out of bed the day after surgery and stayed just three nights at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital, where the spacious private rooms have comfortable furniture, private bathrooms, cable television and Internet access.

“The hospital is state of the art and everyone is extremely nice,” Paul says. In-home physical therapy and nursing visits from Holy Cross staff helped to speed Paul’s recovery. Within two weeks, he was walking unassisted and driving a week later.

Thanks to a dedicated surgeon and Paul’s own efforts in physical therapy, Paul is back at work doing what he loves—creating floral works of art.

 

To find a physician or surgeon at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital, search our online physician's directory or call 301-754-8800.