Pat Montgomery cannot get out of bed without medication.
He has several screws in his back, to help hold his spine together. It took nine surgeries — with another soon to be scheduled — to stabilize his lower spine, where the cushioning cartilage has worn away. Without it, bone rubs against bone.
Most people experience painful degeneration as they age. For Montgomery, a 71-year-old who worked in construction, the condition is extreme…