Dr. McConnell First in Lehigh Valley to Perform Spine Surgery Using activL® Artificial Disc

, Degenerative Discs

New Procedure Gives Young, Active Lehigh Valley Patient with Degenerative Disc Disease Hope for an End to Chronic Pain.

Dr. Jeffrey McConnell is the first spine surgeon in the Lehigh Valley to successfully implant an innovative artificial spinal disc replacement device to address chronic low back pain caused by degenerative disc disease. The  activL® Artificial Disc from Aesculap Implant Systems is designed to closely mirror the natural movement of a healthy human spine, preserving more motion in the spine than traditional fusion surgery.

With traditional fusion surgery, some patients with degenerative disc disease have reported pain at levels adjacent to their initial fusion several years after surgery. In clinical studies, patients who received a lumbar artificial disc were three times less likely to experience pain at adjacent levels 5 years after their procedure than patients who received a fusion.

activL artificial disc

activL® Artificial Disc

“I have been an early adopter of motion-preserving procedures because I have seen the value in both my own patients as well as in the academic literature,” said Dr. McConnell. “I believe that the activL Artificial Disc represents the next generation of spinal disc replacement technology, especially for younger, more active patients.”

McConnell performed the first surgery using activL Artificial Disc at St. Luke’s Allentown campus in May. “Two weeks following my patient’s initial surgery she is already reporting a significant reduction in the pain she experienced before the procedure, and she is up and walking around,” said McConnell. “I am confident as she continues to heal that she will greatly benefit from receiving this artificial disc.”

Aesculap’s activL Artificial Disc was approved by the FDA in June 2015, making it the first new lumbar disc on the market in nine years.

total disc replacement

Cervical Artificial Disc Replacement: 10 Years and Going Strong

, Cervical Disc Replacement

This video tells the story of Stephen Miller, one of the first patients Dr. McConnell treated with the Prestige-LP Cervical Total Disc Replacement.

When Stephen was 24, he dove into a swimming pool and was temporarily paralyzed. Fortunately, his girlfriend was present and she saved his life by dragging him off the bottom of the pool.

Stephen had persistent symptoms – enormous pain and stiffness in his arms and legs – and showed signs of cervical myelopathy associated with herniated discs at C5-6 and C6-7. He was an excellent candidate for a clinical trial starting at the time for the Prestige-LP Cervical Total Disc Replacement. Stephen was one of the first patients treated by Dr. McConnell with this groundbreaking cervical artificial disc replacement.

Stephen checked in this week with Dr. McConnell for his 10-year follow-up and we’re happy to say that Stephen is doing extraordinarily well. In the video he describes his symptoms prior to receiving the procedure, and how the Prestige-LP Cervical Total Disc Replacement procedure changed his life.

The Prestige LP Cervical Disc System is an option for patients suffering from degenerative disc disease at one or two contiguous levels in the cervical spine from C3 to C7.

Symptoms of Cervical Myelopathy

Cervical myelopathy produces two types of symptoms: the ones you may feel in the neck, and the ones appearing elsewhere in the body at or below the compressed area of the spinal cord.

Neck symptoms may include:

  • Neck pain
  • Stiffness
  • Reduced range of motion

As the disease progresses, one may experience shooting pain that originates in the neck and travels down the spine. Other cervical myelopathy symptoms may include:

  • Weakness in the arms and hands
  • Numbness or tingling in the arms and hands
  • Clumsiness and poor coordination of the hands
  • Difficulty handling small objects, like pens or coins
  • Balance issues
Johns Hopkins Medicine