Spine Center

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Dan's Story

A fly fisherman from Montana, Dan had always led an active, outdoor lifestyle. When he moved to the Pacific Northwest a few years ago, he continued his sport. Yet, something wasn’t right. He had trouble wading in rivers and began losing his balance. Also a longtime ball player, his pitching arm grew weak and strength training only served to make his opposite arm stronger. He got to the point where he couldn’t type on a computer or navigate a mouse.

"I was losing my gross and fine motor skills on my right side," Dan remembers. "The deterioration was gradual, over about a year and a half. I hardly noticed. I just started migrating to my left hand. Someone at work eventually pointed out the awkward way my right hand was positioned and I went to see my doctor." Dan’s primary care physician referred him to a neurologist, who ordered a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan and referred him to David A. Lundin, MD, neurosurgical medical director of the Spine Center at Washington Neuroscience Institute (WNI).

"Dan had intractable symptomatic cervical disc disease (SCDD) in his fourth cervical disc," Dr. Lundin explained. "The rest of his spine was disease-free and looked great, but the C-4/5 bulge was severe, pressing on the spinal cord and nerves, and pinching off the flow of spinal fluid." At 42 and in fine health, Dr. Lundin believed Dan to be a perfect candidate for artificial disc replacement: a new, non-fusion technique that would allow Dan to continue his active lifestyle for years to come.

"I was nervous at first," Dan said, "but I did my research. Conventional surgery would have been much more involved and would have limited my activities. What convinced me this was the right solution was that I felt comfortable with Dr. Lundin. I looked him up and was impressed with his background. I knew I was in skilled hands. Also, with the artificial disc I would not have to have surgery again in 10 to 20 years and I could go back to my active lifestyle— fly fishing and playing ball and recreational ice hockey. I’m not ready to give all that up."

Surgery and Recovery

Dan had cervical disc replacement surgery with Dr. Lundin on November 12, 2008. Following the 90-minute operation, he was hospitalized overnight for observation and released the next day. While restricted from driving for the first week, he was able to telecommute from home the following day.

Just four weeks later, he’s sporting a narrow scar on the front of his neck, sipping coffee at Starbucks and using a laptop computer to demonstrate the regained use of his right hand. He nods his head up and down vigorously, then a little more gently side to side. "It’s still a little stiff with lateral movement," Dan says, "and I have a way to go with my right hand. I’m trying to use it as much as possible. "I had very little pain afterwards," he marvels. "The hardest part was not being able to hold my daughter for the first week after surgery."