New surgery alleviates pain in spine

Walking his dog is one of John Wallace's morning pleasures. But not long ago, this was just wishful thinking.

Wallace suffered from a compression fracture caused by weakened bones. It's a pain that can occur in spines as people age.

"My spine had settled down on the nerve mass there and it was hurting all over my legs," Wallace said.

Pain from a compression fracture is common in the elderly, said Douglas Beall, a musculoskeletal radiologist.

"It's like stepping on the top of a coke can and scrunching it down," Beall said.

The procedure used on Wallace was the first new method of treating these fractures in the last decade and takes about 20 minutes to perform.

The surgery costs a fraction of the price of traditional surgery and gives the patients a better chance at avoiding deadly symptoms caused by inactivity, like pneumonia, Beall said.

"Patients get immediate pain relief," Beall said.

For patients like Wallace, pain-free means more time with man's best friend.

"I would certainly be able to do anything that any other man that's approaching 88 would dare to do," Wallace said.