After moving to Utah in 2021, retired basketball coach Jim Foster injured his back while lifting weights, resulting in a herniated disc. The pain spread throughout his lower body, severely limiting his mobility.
Foster was quickly connected to Arthrex faculty spine surgeon Mark Mahan, MD, at University of Utah Health. Mahan performed an ultra-minimally invasive endoscopic procedure to fix Foster’s herniated disc and alleviate the painful nerve.
In the years that followed, Foster faced additional injuries and underwent several more endoscopic procedures with Dr. Mahan.
Today, he’s smiling brightly, noting that his walking, arm mobility and hand strength have all improved significantly.
“There’s a big difference between pain and pain-free,” Foster told University of Utah Health. “There’s also a big difference when you can stand up on your own without assistance, without a cane or a walker, and you can actually do it the way you’ve always done it. I’m not going to run any marathons, but I’m incredibly thankful every day I can get in and out of bed, I can get out of the chair, I can turn and see one way or the other. I mean, it’s night and day.”
Read the full story on the University of Utah Health website: https://healthcare.utah.edu/patient-stories/retired-basketball-coach-gets-back-game-and-relieves-back-pain
Explore ultra-minimally invasive treatment options at ArthrexEndoscopicSpine.com.