Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 2, 2019

8 By Andrea Nagel Lois Berger, a longtime resident of northern Idaho, loves to travel, garden and go on motorcycle rides. But when she started developing back and leg pain, she had to put a lot of her favorite activities on hold. “My back pain gradually got worse over several years until it reached a point where I couldn’t do anything without feeling the pain,” she said. “It was ruining my quality of life and preventing me from doing the things I love. I was miserable and my family was miserable because of my back and leg pain.” After trying every treatment she could think of—physical therapy, yoga, chiropractic treatments and over-the-counter pain relievers—Lois finally took her brother-in-law’s advice and scheduled an appointment with neurosurgeon Jeffrey Larson, M.D. Lois Berger overcame near-crippling back and leg pain with the help of image-guided spine surgery. Robotic spine surgery corrects painful problems and helps patients get back to the lives they love PAIN LIFE Beyond