Ken Longacre, Jr, 55, was used to making sacrifices because of his lower back pain. Diagnosed with spinal stenosis, or narrowing of the spine, he stopped playing golf and no longer went on long hunting trips, two of his favorite hobbies. Then came Easter weekend of 2010 when Ken was faced with making another sacrifice.

"My sons wanted to play the basketball game ‘PIG' at our home in Telford. I couldn't stand for five minutes to wait for my shot. I had to go back inside. I couldn't spend time with my sons. At that moment, I knew. It was time to do something," says Ken, a member of the Grand View Health Foundation Board of Trustees.

Having already tried steroid injections, resulting in little or no relief, Ken saw board-certified orthopaedic surgeon Ernest Cope, III, MD to discuss the option of surgery. Dr. Cope of Upper Bucks Orthopaedics and a member of Grand View's medical staff, specializes in spinal surgery.

It was during that appointment that Ken and Dr. Cope determined that surgery was, in fact, Ken's best option to relieve his pain and regain his life. Wanting to enjoy his son's basketball season, Ken underwent surgery at Grand View a few months later.

"The care I received in the hospital was excellent. I went into the hospital on Thursday morning and was back home on Saturday morning," recalls Ken. "Six weeks after surgery, I felt better than I had in the past 10 years."

About three months after surgery, Ken, who needed minimal rehabilitation, played four rounds of golf in one week. "I was ready to play golf again nine weeks after surgery, but I followed Dr. Cope's orders and waited until 12 weeks," says Ken. "The results exceeded my expectations. Having the surgery was a great decision."

For information on back and spinal care at Grand View, call 215-453-4162.

 Source: Health View Fall 2010/Winter 2011