My name is Barbara and I’m 76 years old. I had a Micro Invasive TLIF operation done last year, performed by Dr. Zeshan Hyder of the Bone and Joint Specialists, IN.

It started last Spring when I was doing my daily walk and I began to notice my left leg was beginning to hurt and ache and I ended up limping home. I figured the more walking I did, the better it would get…turns out the the more walking I did, the worse it got.

The pain started gradual. At first is was tolerable, but after about three months or so I could barley walk. I would need a walker or a cane to get around and even then, I couldn’t go very far without having to rest and take a break.

I initially went to my doctor and got an MRI done of my lower back. The results discovered that I had deteriorating L4-L5. I initially saw a pain specialist to see if that would help with any of the leg pain, but had no success. After that, it was determined that I would need spine surgery.

It has been 1 year since my surgery and I feel great today! Initially I was discouraged, but with time and physical therapy, my leg pain is completely gone, and it has not been back since.

I have a friend of mine, about my age, that has been putting off back surgery for months now. Her surgeon recommended it, and I’ve been trying to talk to her and encourage her to follow through with the surgery and use me as an example. I feel amazing now and don’t have any of the leg or back pain that I was experiencing last year.