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Shirley's Story
- Location
- Georgia
- Back Story
- Prior Lumbar Fusion
- iFuse Implant Procedure Date
- December, 2012 Left side
"I am back to working part time again as a creative director and doing the things that I love."
Background
Shirley has visited chiropractors regularly most of her adult life for adjustments to help with aches and pains. In 1995, her car was rear-ended by another vehicle and she began feeling intense pain in the center-left portion of her lower back. She turned to her chiropractor for help, but wasn’t getting relief.
Later an MRI revealed Shirley had a herniated L4-L5 disc. Shirley saw a pain management doctor who administered facet and lumbar injections, but they did not provide any relief. She continued to search for help and tried more conservative treatments, such as electrical stimulation and traction.
After 20 traction therapies, she began to feel better and was comfortable for about a year. But then the pain returned to her lower back and was radiating into her buttocks and hip. In 2011, Shirley underwent a L4-L5 and L5-S1 fusion, after which she felt no relief and was in more pain than ever. It wasn’t until a year later that Shirley received her first SI joint injection and was diagnosed with degenerative sacroiliitis.
Update
In December 2012, Shirley underwent the iFuse procedure on her left SI joint. Fortunately, Shirley had a good friend that offered to assist her during her recovery time. Shirley used a walker and crutches after surgery and was soon feeling good enough to resume some of her normal activities. At Shirley’s six-month check-up, she had resumed all of her normal activities.
The SI Buddy® program is reserved for patients who have been diagnosed by a trained surgeon and recommended for the iFuse procedure. SI Buddy volunteers have been successfully treated with the iFuse Implant System®. Although many patients have benefited from treatment with the iFuse Implant System, patients' results may vary. They are not medical professionals and their statements should not be interpreted as medical advice.
The iFuse Implant System® is intended for sacroiliac fusion for conditions including sacroiliac joint dysfunction that is a direct result of sacroiliac joint disruption and degenerative sacroiliitis. This includes conditions whose symptoms began during pregnancy or in the peripartum period and have persisted postpartum for more than 6 months. The iFuse Implant System is also intended for sacroiliac fusion to augment immobilization and stabilization of the sacroiliac joint in skeletally mature patients undergoing sacropelvic fixation as a part of a lumbar or thoracolumbar fusion. In addition, the iFuse Implant System is intended for sacroiliac fusion in acute, non-acute, and non-traumatic fractures involving the sacroiliac joint.
There are potential risks associated with the iFuse Implant System. It may not be appropriate for all patients and all patients may not benefit. For information about the risks, talk to your doctor and visit: www.si-bone.com/risks. Rx Only.
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