Jon Alberstadt barely covered a block of his typical four-mile run before it hit him: he couldn’t continue without falling. “It was scary. I was used to running or biking every day, but [now] I was scuffing my feet, losing my balance, tripping.” Jon had severe cervical spinal stenosis— a narrowing of the canal that separates the nerves in the spinal cord from the surrounding vertebrae that make up the bony spinal column. Herniated discs worsened his condition. The combination was squeezing his spinal cord, affecting the nerves that controlled his extremities.

“He had the classic telltale symptoms,” Dr. Kalantar says. “In addition to numbness and lack of balance, Jon was having trouble grasping things, buttoning shirts and using a pen.”

Since Jon was an avid snowboarder, Dr. Kalantar recommended a less invasive option: Laminoplasty. Laminoplasty is a surgical procedure for treating spinal

stenosis by relieving pressure on the spinal cord. Since no bone is removed, fusion is not necessary and range of motion can be preserved. The day after the hospital discharge Jon started taking two-mile walks; three months later, he was cleared for activities at the gym. He is

expected to be back snowboarding in no time.

MyGeorgetownMDA MedStar Georgetown University Hospital Publication

Delicate Neck Surgery Preserves Range of Motion

Photo by Laura Brickley

Dr. Kalantar recommended a less invasive option, where fusion was not necessary.

Jon Alberstadt

To schedule an appointment with an orthopaedic expert, visit MedStarGeorgetown.org/Spine or call MedStar Georgetown M.D. at 202-342-2400 or toll-free at 866-745-2633.

After advanced neck surgery performed by Dr. Kalantar (left) at MedStar Georgetown, Jon Alberstadt was able to continue to do the things he loves, like snowboarding.