Minimally invasive surgery at Beacon helps active mom find relief from back pain

Ashley Schmidt

Ashley Schmidt may work from home, but her days are anything but quiet. This mother of four boys between the ages of 9 and 15 also boards 20 horses, and she and her husband run a hunting preserve and farm.

“We’re a very active family,” she said.

So when Ashley began noticing back pain early last year, it was an immediate inconvenience. And when the pain kept building, she went to a chiropractor hoping “a little adjustment” would help.

Instead, her pain grew worse. “That’s when I went to my family physician,” she said, and her doctor referred her to Beacon Medical Group North Central Neurosurgery South Bend for evaluation to stop the pain.

When conservative treatment isn’t enough

An MRI showed that two of the discs in her spine were slightly bulging. Bulging discs don’t always lead to pain, but if the bulge presses against a nerve or the spinal cord, it can lead to a variety of symptoms ranging from weakness to numbness to sharp pain.

When it comes to the spine, conservative treatments like steroid injections and physical therapy are the first line of defense.

“The right conservative treatment plan works for most patients, but everyone’s body and situation are different,” said Dr. Neal Patel, a neurosurgeon at Beacon Medical Group North Central Neurosurgery.

Dr. Neal Patel

Conservative measures weren’t giving Ashley the relief she needed.

“I started feeling really defeated at that point, like I was just stuck like that and nothing would help,” she said.

Diagnosing a herniated disc

Ashley’s back pain worsened that fall, making it impossible for her to do chores. Reluctant to take pain medicine each day, she began looking for another option. She had started the process to try a nerve block when her back pain became excruciating.

She went to the emergency department, where she met Dr. Patel. Ashley’s MRI revealed a herniated disc and pinched nerve.

“When Ashley told us her pain was escalating despite initial measures, we recognized we needed to switch course and acted quickly,” Dr. Patel said. He proposed a minimally invasive procedure.

“Minimally invasive surgery preserves normal anatomy and creates small windows to find the problem and fix it with minimal pain,” he said.

“I felt like he was an angel. He gave me complete comfort,” Ashley said. “I was emotional. It was scary. He just made everything very relaxed and reassured me. He gave me the confidence my back would get better and I’d get back to normal.”

Choosing a minimally invasive fix

Dr. Patel performed a microdiscectomy on Ashley the next day at Memorial Hospital. During this minimally invasive procedure, the surgeon removes the portions of a herniated disc that are causing pain by pressing against nerves.

Ashley Schmidt and her four sons.

When Ashley woke up, she felt completely different. “Honestly, the pain was gone,” she said. She is deeply appreciative of the nurses, hospital staff, her anesthesiologist and, of course, Dr. Patel.

“I can’t give Dr. Patel enough credit for his patience, compassion and his gift to be able to do what he did,” she said. “He treated me as a person, not just a patient, and his confidence and encouragement gave me hope during one of the most difficult times in my life.”

She recalls that at her six-week checkup, Dr. Patel went over every detail of her MRI to show her what had happened to her spinal discs. He also gave her a timeline for when she could get back to the activities she loves, like riding horses.

Dr. Patel emphasized the importance of the neurosurgery group’s approach: to listen to patients throughout their journey and walk side by side with them, understanding the needs of the individual and family.

He was confident that with a microdiscectomy, Ashley would be able to quickly return to an active lifestyle with her young family.

Getting her life back

Now, Ashley is free of pain, working on building back her core strength and being careful when lifting buckets and doing other heavy chores.

“Dr. Patel gave me my life back. He helped me return to the goals that mattered most to me — being an active mom to my four boys, supporting them in their sports and activities, riding horses, exercising and caring for our animals and farm,” she said. “Today, I can once again participate in the life I love and handle the daily responsibilities that once seemed impossible because of my back pain.”

Learn more

Beacon’s Neurosurgery team provides expert surgical and nonsurgical care for conditions affecting the brain, spine and nervous system. Using a team-based approach, providers work closely with patients to understand their needs, explore treatment options and guide them through every step of care with confidence and support.