Stand By for Relief

Sitting was painful for Oscar Manuel until he had spine surgery at Fort Sanders Regional

For most of us, sitting down is a simple thing to do. For people who suffer from sciatic nerve pain, it’s often difficult and even excruciating.

Oscar Manuel adapted to his pain. He went to restaurants where he could stand at a counter. A family road trip meant long hours lying in the back seat of the car. He stood at the back of the class during Sunday School, pressing his hip into the edge of a pew for relief.

Manuel spent six months in physical therapy. He tried traction, dry needling, chiropractic care and medication. Still, pain shot down his right thigh to his knee, through his calf, jumped to his ankle, across his foot and to his big toe.

A Hidden Source of Pain

A retired pharmacist, Manuel contacted friends who knew medicine. All of them recommended Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center neurosurgeon Joel Norman, MD.

In September 2019, Manuel heard good news: Dr. Norman would likely relieve the pain with a surgical procedure that would take only about an hour.

“I just cried to hear those words,” Manuel says. “I can almost cry just telling about it.”

Dr. Norman says part of the synovium (cushioning) between Manuel’s back joints had developed a small cyst. The synovial cyst projected into the spinal canal, causing nerve compression. 

“I was able to perform a simple decompressive procedure to remove a portion of the back part of the lumbar spine called the lamina, only on the right side, and carefully dissect this compressive cyst away from the underlying neural structures,” Dr. Norman explains. “The cyst was then removed in its entirety.” 

Manuel was walking before the day was over. Today, he can push a lawnmower and push his great-granddaughter’s stroller without pain.

As exciting as it is to be fully active, Manuel is most happy that he’s simply able to take a seat.

“It was a while before I could sit without crying—it felt so good,” Manuel says. “I just wish I hadn’t waited so long!”

To learn more about spine surgery at Fort Sanders Regional, visit covenanthealth.com/spine or call (865) 331-2835.