LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A robotic surgical system promises to give people who suffer from chronic back pain an option for treatment.

Norton Healthcare has the Mazor X robotic surgical system. This unit helps reduce pain and shortens recovery time following spine surgery.

Terri Tackett was one of the first people in Kentucky to have had the Mazor X Stealth assist in her procedure in February.

“It was just not fun. I wasn’t having fun or enjoying my life,” she said.

Dr. Jeffrey Gum from the Norton Leatherman Spine Center operated on Tackett. Dr. Gum said in recent years there has been a huge influx of patents around robotic technology that are providing some breakthroughs in spine surgery.

The Mazor X system uses enhanced imaging software and GPS capabilities to help surgeons map out a plan before surgery, increasing the accuracy of screw placement and improving the overall efficiency of the surgery. It also leads to the patients getting up faster and recovering quicker.

“The patient is up walking around that day and they can leave the hospital the next morning,” Dr. Gum said.

Tackett was able to walk around the day of her surgery and left the hospital the next morning. Tackett has been able to enjoy the things she loves. She has played golf, gone shopping, and has been on several trips with her family.

Tackett hopes word of the advances in robotics encourages other people who suffer from back pain to not just live with the discomfort.

“I would them to quit grinning and bearing it. They need to have the surgery.”

As of August of 2019, the Mazor X Stealth edition has swelled from two centers to 90 across the country.