1st US Service Member to Receive Artificial Disc Celebrates 8 Years Pain-Free
He was a U.S. Marine on Active Duty, planning a career as a Naval Aviator, when a herniated disc stopped everything. Alex Fender saw all his plans postponed, then stopped indefinitely, as physicians repeatedly told him that he would be ‘medically retired’ from the Corps at the age of 21. It was a prediction he refused to accept.
In 2004, Fender met Dr. Scott Blumenthal, a spine surgeon at Texas Back Institute in Plano. After the initial exam, Dr. Blumenthal suggested an artificial disc, which was a new procedure at the time.
“Artificial Disc Replacement had just recently been FDA approved back then,” says Dr. Blumenthal, “I had exceptional outcomes since performing the first disc replacement in the US and I knew Alex would be a good candidate for this procedure.”
Fender was up and walking pain-free hours after his surgery. He had no complications, served four more years on Active Duty, and was honorably discharged in 2008.
Today, Fender is a successful entrepreneur in Dallas. He now serves as CEO of Funnel Science, an internet marketing and SEO agency.
“Staying healthy is objective number one,” says Fender. “You can’t get on with your life if you’re not able to get up and go to work. Texas Back Institute gave me that opportunity, and I’m glad to be an example of how well this surgery works.”