Northwestern Medicine surgeon provides life-changing solution for severe back pain

CHICAGO - On the road to recovery.

Just a few months ago, 72-year-old Bernie Mandelman was in bad shape, literally.

"By the time I saw Dr. Divi, I was bent 90 degrees over a walker and in outrageous pain," said Mandelman. He had to put the brakes on his regular 20-mile bike rides. Even walking had become a challenge.

"When it progresses to the point that Bernie had, that is pretty rare," said Dr. Srikanth Divi, a spine surgeon at Northwestern Medicine.

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Mandelman was suffering from severe spinal compression and vertebrae slippage. A search for a second opinion brought him to Northwestern Medicine and Dr. Divi.

"Back pain comes in many different forms. In Bernie's case, he had a severe condition that worsened over time," said Dr. Divi.

The doctor suggested a fix to straighten Mandelman’s spine and stabilize it. It was a type of surgery called the reverse Bohlman technique.

"What that entails is coming from the front of the spine … and then stabilizing the L1S5 vertebrae that have slipped on each other by drilling a hole through those two vertebrae and placing a piece of cadaver bone to stabilize that segment," Dr. Divi explained.

The surgery is only completed about once a year at Northwestern and takes about 14 hours.

"Dr. Divi fixed me up," said Mandelman, who was discharged at six weeks and then underwent intensive in-patient care at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.

"The main message here is that after failing non-operative management, there are surgical options that can be done to alleviate the back pain," said Dr. Divi.

No matter how complex they may be!

"You just see the results," Mandelman said as he climbed off his bike. "It's a blessing from God for sure."

To avoid surgery, Dr. Divi recommends staying active, strengthening the abdomen and back muscles, controlling a diabetes diagnosis, and not smoking.