Greg Mosier

In June 2020, 45 year-old Greg Mosier herniated a disc while enjoying one of his favorite hobbies — volleyball.

While playing, Greg developed pain radiating from the base of his neck down his right arm to his right hand. Three of his fingers were numb, tingling and weak. His right hand felt uncoordinated, and he recalls his grip strength being about half of what it normally is.

Greg consulted an orthopedic specialist who diagnosed him with a disc rupture. After completing physical therapy without significant improvement, he was referred to a neurosurgeon who recommended surgical fusion of his C7 and T1 vertebrae.

Before committing to a surgical fusion, Greg sought out a second opinion from neurosurgeon Dr. Matthew Pierson who recommended disc replacement as an alternative to a surgical fusion.

“Dr. Pierson described how the replacement disc functioned and explained how it resulted in increased range of motion and significantly decreased recovery time compared to fusion,” said Greg, “This was exactly what I was looking for. Volleyball is a crucial stress outlet for me, and I selfishly wanted to miss as little as necessary.”

Greg scheduled the surgery for late October 2020. He stayed at Research Medical Center overnight and went home the next morning. He was even able to take his son to volleyball practice that same week. Greg returned to work as a KCMO police officer on light duty after just two weeks and was back to enjoying volleyball again in March 2021.