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Spine surgery program now available in Wood Buffalo

Photo: Richard Blais (left) the first to undergo elective spine surgery in Fort McMurray stands next to Dr. Andrei-Razvan Manolescu (right) on June 22, 2015. Crystal Laderas / MORNING REPORTER

(Photo: Richard Blais (left) the first to undergo elective spine surgery in Fort McMurray stands next to Dr. Andrei-Razvan Manolescu (right) on June 22, 2015. Crystal Laderas / MORNING REPORTER)

People across Wood Buffalo who need spine surgery can now get it without heading south.

The Northern Lights Regional Health Centre launched an elective spine surgery program last December.

To date it has seen 24 people undergo the procedure Fort McMurray joins Grande Prairie, Edmonton, and Calgary as the only centres in the province to offer the surgery.

“This is something that we’ve been waiting to have for so long – it’s quite the improvement in services,” said spinal surgeon Dr. Andrei-Razvan Manolescu. “Spine is a very delicate and precise discipline this is why we try to make sure we have the most modern and state of the art instruments.”

Elective spine surgeries can help reduce pain, numbness and restore motor control by conditions like degenerative spine disease, disc herniation, spinal stenosis, or degenerative scoliosis.

“I can play with the toys with my grandson I can go back to equipment my job is sitting down all day so I have no pain, it’s just amazing,” said Richard Blais, who was the first patient in Fort McMurray to undergo the procedure. “They gave me back my freedom and my life.”

Not only are patients in Fort McMurray taking advantage but the program has seen people undergo the procedure from Red Deer, Vegreville, Lamont and Fort Saskatchewan.

“It provides patients to have their care close to home with family support and not worrying about them having to travel down the highway to be able to go to another centre to have their surgery,” said Karen Espersen, operating room manager and operations team lead. “It is such a step ahead in providing access to additional, specialized services to our patients in the Wood Buffalo region.”

The program benefitted from a $300,000 contribution from the Northern Lights Health Foundation, through community support to help purchase some of the needed equipment.