On Top of the World
Successful spinal surgery allows Doylestown woman
to reach her ultimate goal
Linda McCrillis, right, poses with her daughter
Leah Wenger on one of their many steep
hikes through the Himalayas.
Linda McCrillis, a fundraising professional from Doylestown, never imagined a diagnosis of spinal stenosis would change her life so fast. This narrowing of the spinal canal puts pressure on the nerves of the lower back, which sent pain down her legs.
“Within the space of a month, my spinal stenosis degenerated from causing pain in both legs to numbness where I needed a walker,” Linda recalls.
Michael J. Gratch, M.D., orthopaedic spine surgeon at Abington Health’s Orthopaedic & Spine Institute, explains, “Linda’s case was severe in that she had already lost sensation in her legs. We needed to relieve the pressure on her lumbar spinal nerves or she might not regain feeling at all.”
Linda awoke after the procedure to feeling in her legs, and with physical therapy, regained strength in both. But she didn’t stop there.
“After spinal surgery, I was able to do what I’ve wanted to do for 30 years – hike in the Himalayas!”
