Back in Action
Miranda Marks enjoys pain-free days after a disc replacement
In 2015, Miranda Marks, then 24, stumbled in a way that resulted in a herniated disc in her spine, sometimes called a slipped or ruptured disc. That led to Marks’ first meeting with Matthew Eager, MD, SUN Orthopaedics of Evangelical. Dr. Eager recommended a discectomy, a surgical procedure to remove the damaged portion of a herniated disc, which prevents the disc from irritating or compressing nearby nerves and causing pain, numbness, or weakness.
“The surgery went well, and it would have been fine for a more sedentary person,” Marks explains. “But about a year after my surgery, my job changed. I needed to do far more heavy lifting, which wasn’t something Dr. Eager or I expected, so by 2017 the herniated disc came back. Only this time it came with unbearable pain. I couldn’t stand up, get to work, or even walk my dogs. I was pretty depressed by the time I saw Dr. Eager again.”
An MRI of Marks’ back showed that the disc originally operated on had slipped once again. Studies have reported that repeat surgeries for disc herniation occur in about 10–25 percent of cases. The disc no longer provided the necessary cushion between two vertebrae, and making matters worse, the disc was pushing against a nerve. “I could have done another discectomy, but since Miranda’s lifestyle wasn’t going to change, I felt that would only be another temporary fix,” Dr. Eager says.
Dr. Eager recommended a lumbar total disc replacement, which meant he would replace the damaged disc in Marks’ lower spine with an artificial disc. The goal is to restore optimal internal structural support and allow the patient to function normally.
A lumbar disc replacement is considered major surgery, so Marks took a few days to review her options. Eventually, she went with Dr. Eager’s recommendation—and immediately after surgery, knew she’d made the right choice. “To my surprise, all of my nerve pain was gone. Completely gone! Dr. Eager changed my life.”
For the next month, Marks went through physical therapy, slowly regained full mobility, and is now back on full duty at work. “I didn’t think I would ever feel this good again,” Marks says. “I couldn’t have asked for a better surgeon and recovery.”