UHealth Neurosurgeon Describes How Procedure Benefits Patients
Shelby Burks, M.D. is a neurosurgeon specializing in spine surgery at UHealth, the University of Miami Health System. For more information on spine procedures, treatments and services, click here or visit the UHealth Collective.
MEET JOSEPH GONZALEZ
Joseph Gonzalez, a former U.S. Marine, knew something was wrong when he could barely walk during a trip to Disney World.
“Oh my God, I can’t even believe I can’t even walk 30 feet without sitting down,” Joseph says.
Joseph met with Shelby Burks, M.D., is a neurosurgeon specializing in spine surgery at UHealth, the University of Miami Health System, who told him the pain in his legs was coming from his lower back, and offered a procedure he specializes in using a device called TOPS™ or Total Posterior Spine System.
“He has slippage of one vertebrae on another, and what that does is it encloses and compresses the canal,” Dr. Burks explains. “That’s the ideal patient for surgery, because that’s what severe lumbar stenosis does. They can’t walk very far. They can’t stand for very long. TOPS™ is a replacement of the facet joints in the back, and we can do a nice decompression with that. It’s essentially affixed to the bone with screws and then the device has an internal mechanism to maintain motion.”
Joseph sees Dr. Burks at UHealth SoLé Mia in North Miami after undergoing state of the art spinal surgery. The innovative procedure allows for faster recovery and more range of motion.
“I just started walking and I just couldn’t believe how he fixed my pain right away,” says Joseph.
“I am big on maintaining motion and I think people recover faster. I think it’s more natural for the body,” Dr. Burks says.
UHealth offers a multidisciplinary team approach to better serve patients.
“That’s the other thing I love about my job is that I have close relationships with orthopedics, my neurosurgery colleagues. We have an amazing department. I recommend all of my colleagues very highly. Our spine team is, I think, the best probably in the country, and it’s just nice to be able to work with people who get along really well,” says Dr. Burks.
Joseph is back to his active lifestyle!
“I can do lunges, I can do squats, I can do leg press. I do Pilates now, which helps me a lot, and it’s been great,” Jospeh says.
Joseph and his wife went on a cruise just four weeks after surgery! He’s grateful for getting his life back.
“Every team, every nurse, everybody who comes together is just phenomenal here,” says Joseph.