网曝门事件

When Kathryn Popelka visited 网曝门事件 Health Howard Memorial complaining that she鈥檇 lost feeling in her limbs, she wasn鈥檛 sure what was wrong. Though the Humboldt County resident hadn鈥檛 been in a car accident or had a bad fall, she suddenly noticed that when she pinched the skin on her hands, shoulders and legs, she felt nothing.

鈥淚 could no longer function normally,鈥� Popelka says. 鈥淚 was losing feeling in my hands, arms and legs. I was scared that if I did not do something right away, I wouldn鈥檛 be able to walk.鈥�

After reviewing extensive X-rays of her spine, Yoshihiro Katsuura, MD, a spine surgeon at 网曝门事件 Health Howard Memorial, told Popelka that she had cervical stenosis (constriction) causing damage to the spinal cord. 鈥淭his happens when one vertebra slips into another, causing compression on the spinal cord,鈥� Dr. Katsuura says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a gradual process, but with time, the signals between the brain and body became disconnected.鈥�

A plan of action

Spinal cord damage is irreversible, so Dr. Katsuura and his team had to act quickly. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no way to regenerate the spinal cord when it鈥檚 damaged. All we can do is stop the problem from getting worse,鈥� Dr. Katsuura says.

He recommended posterior spinal fusion, an operation in which he would insert screws into Popelka鈥檚 vertebrae to anchor them and relieve the pinching on her spinal cord. Although there are risks with any surgery, the stakes are higher when the spine is involved.

鈥淒r. Katsuura said that there was still a risk that I could end up in a wheelchair, but that this operation might result in me being able to walk again,鈥� Popelka recalls. 鈥淚 trusted him, so we went for it.鈥�

Encouraging recovery

After the procedure, Dr. Katsuura recalls that he and Popelka noticed immediate improvement. 鈥淭he difference was night and day,鈥� he says. 鈥淪he regained some strength immediately and started to recover well.鈥�

Still, the road to full recovery was complicated. Popelka spent months in rehabilitation, where she essentially relearned to walk with the help of 网曝门事件 Health鈥檚 physical therapists. 鈥淎fter six months, I was home and using a walker,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 was so happy to be able to move on my own.鈥�

Though she had faced the possibility of being wheelchair-bound for life, Popelka walked on her own just nine months after her operation, and at 12 months, she went on a stroll with Dr. Katsuura. 鈥淚 am so thankful for how far I鈥檝e come, and for the entire team at 网曝门事件 Health Howard Memorial,鈥� she says. 鈥淓very day, I get better and stronger.鈥�

How is your spine?

Although spinal cord damage can happen after a car accident or a traumatic fall, slowly evolving injuries are far more common, says Yoshihiro Katsuura, MD, a spine surgeon at 网曝门事件 Health Howard Memorial. 鈥淭hese injuries develop over many years or even decades, with discs, ligaments and joints wearing down over time,鈥� he explains. 鈥淚f we can identify an injury early, we can prevent irreversible spinal cord damage.鈥�

Dr. Katsuura recommends talking to your doctor if you experience symptoms that may indicate a degenerative, or slowly progressing, spinal injury:

鈥� Lack of coordination or feeling off balance

鈥� Loss of sensation or weakness in the arms, legs or hands

鈥� Feeling of instability in the neck or spine

鈥� Sudden urinary incontinence

鈥� Loss of fine motor dexterity (such as worsening handwriting or inability to button up shirts)

Talk to an orthopedic expert: to request an appointment and find out whether you are a candidate for orthopedic surgery, call 707-456-3062.