DENTON, Texas — As a paratrooper with the 82^nd Airborne Division, Jeremy Traughber experienced adventure, exhilaration and, occasionally, pain. Now 49, he lived with constant pain in his lower back, the result of years of wear and tear on his spine.

Jeremy Traughber

Seeking relief, Traughber turned to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton for treatment of his severe degenerative disc disease — the breakdown of the cushioning between his vertebrae — and the pinched nerve in one leg that resulted from it, leading to immobility.

“Four years in the Army and nearly 20 years in the oil and gas industry left me with chronic back pain. I came to a point where I couldn’t walk,” Traughber said. “Because of Dr. [Michael] Catino and the care team at Texas Health Denton, I have a better quality of life. I’m hiking, climbing and even reaching mountain summits.”

Receiving advanced treatment and compassionate care

Michael Catino, M.D., an orthopedic spine surgeon on the Texas Health Denton medical staff and a member of Texas Health Spine Specialists, a Texas Health Physicians Group practice*, started treating Traughber in 2020. Along with providing physical treatment, he encouraged Traughber to embrace a healthy lifestyle.

“My work schedule and eating habits were horrendous,” Traughber said. “Along with the excruciating pain in my back, I weighed 340 pounds. To get better, I knew I needed to make healthier choices.”

After exhausting several treatment options, including physical therapy, medication management and spinal injections, Catino recommended spine surgery as a last resort for Traughber.

“My back was in a terrible state, and the pain was debilitating,” Traughber. “I’m an adrenaline junkie, and before the surgery, I was questioning if I’d even be able to walk again.”

Catino performed an anterior/posterior lumbar interbody fusion, which is an intricate spine surgery to reconstruct the lower spine, where Traughber’s backbone connects to the pelvis. For the anterior portion, Catino made an incision in Traughber’s abdomen and inserted a cage to fuse his worn L5/S1 disc. The posterior incision gave Catino access through Traughber’s lower back, and he inserted metal rods and screws to strengthen the spine.

After major spine surgery, Traughber was walking — without pain — hours later. He returned home the next day.

“The spinal fusion alleviated Mr. Traughber’s back pain along with the pain in his leg,” Catino said. “Two weeks later, he was back at work.”

Since surgery, Traughber, an avid outdoorsman, has hiked more than 60 miles and after several climbs, he has achieved more than 26,000 feet of total elevation gain. Traughber recently moved to Washington and reached the summit of Mount St. Helens. Within the next two years, Traughber anticipates reaching all the major summits in the Cascade Mountains.

“Every trail I hike, every summit I reach and every challenge I accept is a reminder of the life given back to me,” Traughber said. “Dr. Catino and the entire care team gave me the opportunity to live again — not simply without pain, but with purpose, adventure and the freedom to see what I am capable of.”

Catino credited Traughber, who lost more than 100 pounds over the course of his treatment, for his dedication to achieving a positive outcome.

“Seeing someone go from having a hard time walking to being able to summit the Cascades is very rewarding,” Catino added. “Helping someone enhance their quality of life to that degree is truly fulfilling.”

*Physicians employed by Texas Health Physicians Group practice independently and are not employees or agents of Texas Health Resources hospitals.