Weight Loss Eased the Pain
Man avoids surgery for spinal stenosis after losing it
David Pierson had battled his weight for 20 years, but it took back problems to motivate him to finally shed some pounds. The 49-year-old Easton, Pa., man was diagnosed last fall with spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal that pinches the spinal cord and nerves. The condition causes pain and numbness in the legs.
“The doctor told me that because I weighed 450 pounds, I might not survive back surgery,” Pierson says. “But he also told me that if I lost weight, I might not even need an operation.”
That was enough for the 5-foot-10-inch Pierson. He cut down his dinner portions, eliminated fast food and fatty snacks from his daily routine and traded in two-hamburger lunches for salads. Along with walking and stretching, these changes helped him drop 150 pounds by last March and eliminate much of his pain. Pierson now weighs 274 pounds and is moving toward his goal of 200.
This page last updated 10/27/09 04:27 PM
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