Marty LaRue from Chippewa Falls enjoys ice finishing in the winter, riding his motorcycle in the summer and tinkering whenever the weather keeps him inside. He loves his family and is dedicated to his church and community.

Marty’s life has been defined by service. Enlisting in the Army at 17, he served for over a decade, including active duty and National Guard time, and is a Desert Storm veteran.

His post-military career was equally diverse. He was a firefighter, EMT, social worker and worked in project management and even sand mining. A combination of military incidents and physically demanding jobs led to severe back issues, mobility issues, surgery and chronic pain.

Marty and his wife are moving into a new season of life as grandparents. Marty wants to be able to play with his grandkids when they got older, and he knew that wouldn’t be possible with how he was currently feeling.

Working through the VA, they recommended seeing Nicole Holm, D.N.P., an orthopedic surgery nurse practitioner at Marshfield Medical Center-Eau Claire. When Holm evaluated his condition, she referred Marty to Nikhil Shelke, M.D, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in spine care.

“I spoke with Dr. Shelke, and as he explained the surgery to me (an endoscopic discectomy). He said he could schedule it for later in the week, and I could go on a hunting trip two days after surgery. I didn’t believe him,” Marty said.

Marty had experience with an endoscopic discectomy before with a different health system in 2018. The recovery was so intense it was unlike any pain he had experienced before.

But Dr. Shelke used a less invasive approach that uses a spinal endoscope and an array of surgical tools and HD camera. This minimally invasive spinal surgery is the first of its kind in the Eau Claire area. Dr. Shelke’s technique creates a smaller incision and helps patients return to normal activities faster with less pain.

“I went into surgery with a pain level of 10 and woke up with zero pain,” Marty said. “I was stiff and could tell I had surgery, but I could move and stretch. It was incredible.”

The difference in recovery was like day and night and Marty was able to get back to the things he loved doing right away. “I have nothing but praise for Dr. Shelke and his team, pain management and physical therapy at Marshfield Medical Center-Eau Claire.”

Unfortunately, one afternoon about six weeks after the surgery he lifted his motorcycle wrong and felt a familiar jolt of pain. Marty went back in to get imaging done to assess the damage of this new injury. They found inflammation, and his care team is looking at options to help rehabilitate this injury. “The attention and after care I’ve had from my care team is unmatched from any other experience I’ve had before.”

Even with the new setback the spine care team continues to support Marty.

“I can tell that they really care,” he said. “It is never a lecture. I was only met with an action plan of how I can reduce my pain and continue to recover.”