PLANO, Texas, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Back Institute (TBI) will open the nation’s first center dedicated to the study and application of artificial disc replacement surgery (spine arthroplasty). The Center for Spine Arthroplasty at TBI in Plano will help patients whose lives have been debilitated by back pain.
Texas Back Institute was instrumental in the approval of the CHARITE Artificial Disc, the first disc approved for use in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As the country’s lead investigators, TBI surgeons implanted the first artificial disc in March 2000 and have implanted more artificial discs than any other spine practice in America.
“This new center is a natural extension of our practice because TBI played a leading role in the investigational study for the CHARITE Artificial Disc,” said Scott Blumenthal, M.D., spine surgeon, lead investigator for the CHARITÃ? Artificial Disc study and director of the new Center for Spine Arthroplasty. Blumenthal added, “Spine arthroplasty represents a major advancement in the field of spinal surgery.”
Spine arthroplasty is an alternative to the more commonly used spinal fusion surgery techniques often used to treat back pain. Spinal fusion, while effective, can limit the mobility of the spine. Disc replacements have shown a significant decrease in pain and the return to near full range of motion.
“According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) approximately 65 million Americans suffer from low back pain every year. We believe we should use our knowledge and research to provide a specific center to help relieve back pain,” said Richard Guyer, M.D. spine surgeon, director of the TBI Spine Surgery Fellowship Program and co-investigator of the CHARITE Artificial Disc.
“All TBI surgeons are trained in spinal arthroplasty and implant CHARITÃ? discs or one of three of the other artificial discs TBI is investigating in clinical trials,” said Stephen Hochschuler, M.D., spine surgeon, co-founder and chairman of TBI and co-investigator of the CHARITE Artificial Disc. Dr. Hochschuler, who operates in both Plano and Phoenix, AZ, will be bringing this newly approved device to Phoenix patients.
DePuy Spine, maker of the CHARITE disc will support TBI with the first-ever Spine Arthroplasty Fellowship. According to Earl R. Fender, worldwide president of DePuy Spine, the decision was made “because of the prestige and leadership of TBI’s facility and surgeons during the investigational work on the CHARITE Artificial Disc.”
Texas Back Institute: Texas Back Institute (TBI) is the largest freestanding spine specialty clinic in the United States. The Institute, based in Plano, Texas, was established 26 years ago and provides comprehensive medical care for individuals with back and neck pain. TBI is a back care leader specializing in spinal arthroplasty and minimally invasive spine surgery. As an academic health care organization, TBI has trained hundreds of physicians, scientists and allied health professionals. Its research institution employs state-of-the-art technology and research to treat patients and is involved in the most clinical trials of artificial discs. TBI’s professional staff includes board-certified spine surgeons, general surgeons, internists, chiropractors, physiatrists, pain specialists, exercise physiologists and a team of physical and occupational therapists. Texas Back Institute’s main office is located on the campus of Presbyterian Hospital of Plano, with offices in Denton, Fort Worth, Garland, Greenville, Hurst, Midland, TX and Phoenix, AZ. For more information visit http://www.texasback.com/ or call 1-800-247-BACK
Texas Back Institute
CONTACT: Wendy B. Kula, APR, 1-972-668-9583, wkula@verizon.net, forTexas Back Institute
Web site: http://www.texasback.com/