JACKSONVILLE, Fla., June 1, 2023 – Do you experience numbness, pain, cramping, or a tingling feeling in your legs, calves or low buttocks? Aching, dull back pain radiating (spreading) to your legs? Do your symptoms improve when you sit, lean forward, lie on your back, or sit with your feet raised? If so, you may be a candidate for the Vertiflex procedure, now available at Coastal Health’s Spine & Pain division in Jacksonville, Fla.
Moderate lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is most likely causing the symptoms you are experiencing. LSS is the result of aging and “wear and tear” on the spine from everyday activities. Your symptoms may be caused by a narrowing around your nerves. The Vertiflex procedure may help restore the natural space your nerves need to provide relief from your symptoms. The Vertiflex procedure uses a small implant that is designed to treat LSS. The implant is placed between the spinous discs and helps to hold them open, which may alleviate that narrowing that is pinching your nerves.
The Vertiflex procedure has been approved by the FDA. In one of the largest clinical trials for a medical device, the Vertiflex procedure demonstrated long-term success. Patients in the study reported a 90 percent patient satisfaction sustained through five years. Patients also reported an 80 percent reduction in their leg pain through five years and 81 percent improvement in physical function through five years.
“The launch of Vertiflex allows our patients to return to the life they have been missing,” said Michael Greene, D.O. who is the first physician in Jacksonville to do this procedure.
ABOUT DR. MICHAEL GREENE
Dr. Michael Greene is a double board certified physician in both interventional pain medicine as well as physical medicine and rehabilitation. He completed a prestigious interventional pain fellowship in the Department of Pain Management at Temple University. This extensive program emphasized medical, procedural and surgical/implantable treatments of pain ailments and syndromes. Prior to that, he completed his residency training at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in New York City. Dr. Greene received his medical degree from Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine after graduating from Emory University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Prior to joining Coastal Health, he was an attending physician in the Philadelphia area specializing in interventional treatment of pain where he partnered with an orthopedic spine surgeon. Dr. Greene is a member of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians and the International Spine Intervention Society. He was awarded South Jersey’s “Top Doc” and Top Physician for Women.