Complex spine surgery heals young mom after years of back pain

02/20/2026

Jessica Schmid spent years living with debilitating sciatica and degenerative disc disease. Personalized, multispecialty spine surgery gave her a spring back in her step.

For 39-year-old Jessica Schmid of New Fairfield, CT, movement was part of who she was: a former cheerleading flyer, dancer, yogi and realtor. But a back injury dating to her teen years and autoimmune disease caused back and leg pain that disrupted every part of her life.

Back pain and sciatica take over an active life

At 16, a cheerleading fall on her back caused shoulder and wrist injuries. Jessica recovered and did not think her spine had been affected much. Years later, during a difficult pregnancy, she developed sciatica — radiating nerve pain in her left leg. Six weeks after having her daughter, when she returned to exercise, she felt a sharp pop and pain in her back.

“I figured it was just from having a baby,” Jessica said. “But it never went away.”

How degenerative disc disease made work and life unbearable

Jessica also has an autoimmune disease that caused degenerative disc disease in her spine. Jessica spent the next 12 years trying everything she could to feel better, including physical therapy and epidural injections. But nothing gave her lasting relief.

Her symptoms intensified four years ago after the birth of her second child. She started having neurological problems.

“I had numbness down one leg and then both legs,” she said. “My left leg got so numb I couldn’t lift my toes.”

She couldn’t walk on her toes or heels, and she became unbalanced, which were unsettling feelings as a dancer.

Sometimes the pain was so severe she had to crawl to the bathroom.

She felt worse sitting down. As a realtor, driving to showings became “extremely painful,” and she stopped going out to dinner with friends.

“I couldn’t sit for more than 15 minutes,” she said.

“It was depressing to be in pain all the time. I was in my 30s and canceling yoga, plans with friends and not traveling.”

Finding hope to fix back pain with a spine surgeon who listened

Jessica went to different doctors, but no one could pinpoint exactly what was causing her pain. Some thought it was related to the autoimmune disease.

Jessica didn’t want to have surgery, but she wanted to know what was going on. She decided to see neurosurgeon Dr. Scott Sanderson because he performed a successful neck surgery on her mom. She was surprised when she got an appointment right away at the Neuroscience Institute Neurosurgery office in Danbury, CT.

“He was so great,” she said. “He actually listened to me and used visuals to explain everything clearly. I understood him, and he understood me. He was supportive and never pushed surgery.”

Jessica had disc herniation (when a spinal disc bulges and irritates nearby nerves), spondylosis (injury or age‑related wear‑and‑tear of the spine) and degenerative disc disease (when spinal discs break down over time and cause pain).

As Jessica described it, she had “a back of a 60-year-old.”

Her biggest fear was not being able to lift her young son during recovery. Dr. Sanderson took the time to understand her concerns and lifestyle needs, and he emphasized any decision about surgery was hers.

“He made it feel like my choice. That mattered so much,” she said.

A multispecialty, tailored approach to spine surgery to treat back pain

About six months after meeting Dr. Sanderson, Jessica decided she wanted to have surgery.

Dr. Sanderson created a coordinated, multispecialty surgical plan tailored specifically to her complex spinal anatomy and goals as a young, active mother.

“This was not a one-approach surgery,” said Dr. Sanderson, who is the chief of neurosurgery at Danbury Hospital, part of Northwell Health. “Accessing the spine safely often requires different angles and techniques. You need more than one tool in the toolbox.”

The 10-hour surgery at Danbury Hospital involved three distinct approaches, each chosen to stabilize the spine, minimize trauma to the muscles and nerves and give Jessica a faster recovery and successful long-term outcome.

The anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) involved accessing the spine through the stomach. Dr. Sanderson collaborated with a vascular surgeon to navigate around critical arteries. Through an incision near the belly button, Dr. Sanderson removed the damaged disc between L5 to S1 vertebrae in the lumbar and sacral spine. Then he inserted a metal cage and bone graft for spinal stability.

“The anterior approach allowed me to place a larger graft than is possible through the back, resulting in more stabilization of the spine,” Dr. Sanderson explained. “It’s like hanging an 85-inch TV — you need robust anchors, not small nails, to ensure it stays in place.”

The extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) involved accessing the spine through the side of the body. Dr. Sanderson removed the damaged disc at L4 to L5 vertebrae in the lumbar spine and placed a metal cage and bone graft for spinal stability there, too.

“Most of Jessica’s pain and instability originated from the base of her spine, so I wanted it to be as structurally sound as possible. I could remove the discs completely, place larger stabilizers and avoid exposing spinal nerves by approaching the spine from the front and side,” Dr. Sanderson explained. “It’s like taking out the cream of an Oreo cookie and replacing it with another cookie.”

The robotic-assisted posterior approach involved accessing the spine from the back through small incisions. Dr. Sanderson used a GPS-guided navigation system to place hardware (screws, rods) in the spine to stabilize it.

Dr. Sanderson also coordinated with Jessica’s rheumatologist given her autoimmune disease, ensuring a safe and carefully monitored recovery plan.

A surprising recovery after complex spine surgery

As a mom of young, active kids, Jessica was worried about the recovery, but what happened surprised her.

“I still had some nerve pain and tingling down my legs the first couple of days. But pain from the surgery was minimal,” Jessica said. “Two days after surgery, I could lift my toes. … I almost cried I was so happy.”

Within two weeks, she was walking without a walker, and she visited a friend three weeks after surgery.

Jessica is back at yoga and even went skiing — something she had avoided for years and missed doing with her family. She’s even thinking about dance classes again.