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Adult Spine Service
The UNC-Chapel Hill Orthopaedic Spine Surgery Program has been revived under the direction of Drs. Lim and Mathur, who were recruited to UNC from the top orthopaedic spine surgical training programs in the country. With their colleagues at the UNC Spine Center, they provide comprehensive treatment for a wide array of spinal pathologies including herniated discs, spinal stenosis, spinal tumors, and complex adult deformity. They perform spinal surgery using standard techniques and the latest cutting-edge surgical technologies. These include minimally invasive spine surgery, kyphoplasty, disc replacement, and microsurgical decompression. For certain spinal problems, these new techniques may allow faster recovery and eliminate the need for spinal fusion. Drs. Lim and Mathur have also authored numerous scientific papers and lectured internationally. Their ongoing research at UNC includes studies on the genetic basis of scoliosis, nerve regeneration in spinal cord injury, the biomechanics of novel spinal implants, and the effects of wear debris from disc replacements.
"Special" Surgeries:
The X-STOP: Dr. Mathur
The X-STOP is a new, minimally-invasive technique for the treatment of spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis usually occurs in people over the age of 50. People experience a dull or aching pain starting in the back and moving into the legs with numbness and "pin and needles" in the calves or buttocks. As the spinal stenosis increases, people complain of weakness in the legs and loss of balance. Symptoms increase after walking a certain distance or standing for a period of time. These symptoms improve with sitting, bending or leaning forward.
The X-STOP implant is a titanium metal implant designed to fit between the spinous processes of the vertebrae in the lower back. It creates more space for the nerves to travel in the spinal column as well as decreasing the pressure on the nerve itself.
The procedure is done under local anesthesia as an outpatient procedure. People experience immediate relief of symptoms after surgery. The advantage of the X-STOP device is that no bone is removed during surgery, which minimizes the chance of nerve injury.
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