News

By Craig Smith

Tribune-Review

The pain in Robert Minner's back kept him bent over most of the time.

"I couldn't straighten up. The pain was too great," said Minner, 56, of West Middlesex.

A farmer, he had surgery for lumbar stenosis at Allegheny General Hospital on July 21 and went back to work Sept. 19.

"My goal was to be back on the tractor for the fall harvest," Minner said.

Back pain is one of the United States' most common medical problems, affecting eight out of 10 people, the National Institutes of Health said. It costs Americans about $86 billion a year, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"It's becoming a bigger issue here because of our elderly population," said Jack Wilberger, chairman of Allegheny General Hospital's Department of Neurosurgery, where a Senior Spine Program offers a holistic approach to treating spinal and other problems.

Allegheny General's comprehensive spine care program recently was recognized as a Center Of Excellence in the nation's first widespread survey of spine centers.

To read more, visit the Tribune-Review web site.