MRI results

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 41 total)

1 2 3 … 5 6 7 Next

Author

Posts
Deboras
Participant

May 23, 2012 at 12:32 am

Post count: 10

#6242

Hi. Please give me your impression on my MRI results, and should I see a spine specialist or ns

There is multilevel loss of disc signal and disc narrowing c3-4 through t2-3 there is anterior and posterior spondylitis change at these levels

At c3-4 broad based posterior spondylosis and right more than left facet degenerative change results in moderate right more than left side exit foraminal encroachment

At c4-5 broad based posterior spondylosis change narrows the spinal canal midline sagittal dimension 8-9mm plus contributes to a pattern of moderate to marked right more than left side exit foraminal encroachment

At c5-6 posterior spondylitis disc osteophyte complex is somewhat asymmetric right para central compared to left para central with cord flattening midline sagittal dimension of the canal 7mm there is marked right more than left side exit foraminal encrocroachment

At c6-7 broad based posterior spondylitis change somewhat asymmetric left para central to foraminal with marked left more right side exit foraminal encroachment

Impression. Multilevel spondylitis change with areas of spinal stenosis and exit foraminal encroachment. This is most severe at the c5-6 level

Smptoms I have r pain on right side of neck. Shoulder , to down hand, my right arm sometimes falls asleep. To the point I have to pick it up to move it. I have lower back issues too m
And my feet hurt especially in am hard to put down. Eases thru day. But when I flex my feet theres a pulling on both heels.

I appreciate your help. Thank u. Debbie

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

May 24, 2012 at 7:57 am

Post count: 8660

#6249

MRI images normally have to be correlated with symptoms to make relevant findings but there are exceptions. Your arm pain most likely is from the foraminal stenosis at C5-6 (see website for more information). You also have foraminal stenosis at C4-5 and this could cause shoulder pain but won’t cause pain that radiates down to the hand. The C6-7 level also has “some” foraminal stenosis but the radiologist was not as impressed- at least by his wording.

The exception that I was talking about is the significant narrowing of the central canal causing central stenosis (see website for that discussion). The radiologist measured 7mm as the diameter of your canal at C5-6. Minimum normal is 13mm so the canal is “tight”. This does put your spinal cord at some risk as an injury bending the head backwards can pinch the cord and cause injury.

I think you need to see a spine specialist sooner than later.

Dr. Corenman

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.

Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.

Deboras
Participant

May 24, 2012 at 11:19 pm

Post count: 10

#6254

Thank u dr for such a speedy response. I mad an appt with a neuro surgeon there aren’t any spine specialist in my ins plan.

Does Coe
Rd flatten mean the there is some pressing on the spinal cord already? Is this something that can be helped with physical therapy. Or is there a possibility I may need surgery to fix this issue. If so which surgery would u recc.

I do have some weakness in my arm like when folding clothes n holding things. N the neck is bad ESP when I move it in a backward way. It’s been a problem for a few years. I contributed it to a shoulder injury I had dislocated years back and had surgery to fix it. I also thought that was cause of tingly feeling in right arm and hand. There are occasions when my left hand is swollen when I wake up .

Once again I thank u for such a great website. I’m sure u have helped many a people with sinal issues. Debbie

Deboras
Participant

May 24, 2012 at 11:20 pm

Post count: 10

#6255

That was supposto say. Does cord flattening. Sry

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

May 25, 2012 at 5:51 am

Post count: 8660

#6256

Cord flattening does mean cord compression. I cannot comment on the need for surgery but the MRI report does worry me. The surgery that is needed depends upon your symptoms, physical examination and imaging including X-rays and MRI.

Dr. Corenman

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.

Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.

Deboras
Participant

June 19, 2012 at 6:45 am

Post count: 10

#6402

Hey dr corenman. I saw a neurosurgeon today. He recommended me to take muscle relaxers an antiinflamatorys. And to do 6 weeks of physical therapy. And also made me an appointment with a dr who is a physiatrist for possible injections. Your opinion please should I get a second opinion of this or would this seem like normal procedure. I have since had episodes of my leg getting tingling and a burning feeling . My entire back and neck r in spasms daily. Thank you for your help in advance.
Author

Posts

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 41 total)

1 2 3 … 5 6 7 Next

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

Donald Corenman, MD, DC

Average rating:

81 reviews

Eric S

Sep 26, 2021

by Eric S on Donald Corenman, MD, DC

Successful pars repair at 46 years old

Back in November of 2018 (at 46 years old) I came from Vancouver BC to have a pars repair done with Dr. Donald Corenman at the Steadman Clinic in Vail Colorado. I'm finally posting this review nearly three years later in late 2021. The reason I waited so long was I wanted to know the final result before I posted my review. Unfortunately in that time Dr. Corenman has retired. Nevertheless, I want to post this review of Dr. Corenman and his staff at the Steadman Clinic in their excellent treatment of my L5 pars interarticularis.

I fractured my pars at age 42 back in 2014 when rolling on the gym floor, and was denied treatment by the Canadian healthcare system, probably due to my age. First my GP told me there was no surgical option for a pars defect, which was quite incorrect! I tried to live with it, but the symptoms worsened (periodic random spine slippage and weeks of resultant pain after just bending over to tie my shoe, so I eventually learned to mostly squat and hardly bend). When I finally consulted with Canadian spine surgeons, I was told they believed my pars defect had been congenital (since birth). This was absurd, considering I had done extreme martial arts (including jiu jitsu) for years prior, as well as 5 years of reinforcing steel full time in my 20s, probably the hardest job on the back you can find. No pars defect like mine would possibly have allowed this--ergo it was impossible that I had had the defect since birth. I did however have an asymptomatic congenital spina bifida occulta that made me more susceptible to a pars fracture. In 2014 in one instant, I went from having the strongest back people I knew said they'd ever seen, to being unable to safely bend over and tie my shoe without a non-negligible risk of my spine slipping randomly (which would lead to weeks of pain after each occurrence). This was due to the unilateral L5 pars defect, otherwise known as spondylolysis. It was when lying in pain on the floor 4 years later after maybe the 6th spine slippage event post injury, that I had had enough, and resolved to have surgery. If Canada's "universal health care" said no, I would make lemonade from lemons, and find the very best surgeon in the world at pars repairs. That was Dr. Donald Corenman. Dr. Corenman back in 2018 ran a website https://neckandback.com/ that dedicated many pages to the science of every aspect of pars repairs, from eligibility (good discs on MRI), to best surgical techniques (minimal open compared to minimally invasive), best imaging to use (i.e., O-Arm with Stealth imaging vs. older fluoroscopy), the ideal amount of BMP to use and why not use too much or too little, and much more, all to do with pars repairs, pages upon pages of his site just on the pars, with scientific references and his own extensive expert opinion. As a health research statistician, I was very impressed with this. It was in stark contrast to the websites of other spine surgeons which barely gave the pars a word or two, focusing almost exclusively on fusions. I had found the best surgeon in the world for pars repairs, and so after Dr. Corenman personally screened my MRI to ensure my discs were healthy, I booked the surgery.

Being 46 years old at the time of surgery in 2018, with a 4-year-old pars fracture from 2014 combined with a congenital SBO meant my pars fragment was somewhat atrophied, but it was "very solid", said Dr. Corenman in the operative report. Nevertheless, it was challenging with two things to fix, the pars and SBO, and OR time was around 4 hours. Recovery over the following months was guided by a very clear "Spine binder" from the Steadman Clinic with strict rules of "no BLT" (no bending, lifting or twisting), and illustrated physiotherapy guidelines. They even warned patients to avoid fish oil supplements, which could excessively dampen inflammation and hence slow bone healing. They answered many questions I had during months of recovery, with responses coming from the very supportive Lori Fugate (then director of Dr. Corenman's practice), and Ehrich Bean (then physician's assistant at the practice), as well as a couple calls with Dr. Corenman himself after two of the CT scans. Ehrich Bean offered great advice for taking the spine binder conservatively due to the nature of pars repairs vs. fusions. The final post-op CT scan I had was a couple weeks ago at 34 months post-op, and Dr. Corenman had retired, but I got a very positive and informative call from Eric Strauch (current PA at the Steadman Clinic under Dr. Corenman's replacement there, and who had also worked with Dr. Corenman previously). The staff at the Steadman Clinic were extremely supportive all the way through the process. I should mention, the local Canadian spine surgeon did offer me very good post-operative support including antibiotics as needed to deal with a mild surface incision-site infection early on, booking numerous x-rays when I felt something was amiss, as well as booking all four of my post-op CT scans. I am very grateful for that support also.

My final result shows plenty of solid bone across the pars and a healed SBO, with my vertebral body now a solid bone ring instead of being broken at two places as it was pre-op. Does my spine hold up in the real world? You bet! I have recently dug and moved several yards of dirt and sand and gravel by myself (shovel and wheelbarrow!) to fix our water main, pulled roots from the yard, moved several "portable" (these are HUGE) air conditioners up several flights of stairs my myself, and lifted weights. I now run 2 miles (3.2 KM) several times weekly with a hard 100 meter dash in the middle. I bend deeply before each run I go on, with no spine slippage. My spine feels amazing. I can bend over to do exercise, or real word tasks, with no risk of spine slippage.

My sincere thanks to God, Dr. Donald Corenman, Lori Fugate, Ehrich Bean, Eric Strauch, and the Steadman Clinic, as well as the Canadian spine surgeon who offered me excellent post-operative care back in Canada. You have all given me a new lease on life.

Sincerely,
Eric S

Robert S

May 11, 2021

by Robert S on Donald Corenman, MD, DC

Back Fusion Surgery

I had my entire lumbar spine fused in November of 2018. I had scoliosis , with pinched nerves that were so painful I could hardly walk - and standing for more than a few minutes was impossible. Even sitting was painful.
The fusion surgery produced immediate relief! And the recovery was much easier than I expected.
To this day I can do all the activities I love from hiking, to standing in a stream fly fishing to riding my bike long distances - or just walking down the street with my wife.
Kudos to Dr. Corenman and his staff, (including the two Erics) for taking such good care of me!

Leslie R

Jul 9, 2020

by Leslie R on Donald Corenman, MD, DC

TLIF

I had my TLIF surgery on 6/24/2020 by Dr. Corenman, I can not say enough good things about the Dr or his staff. I was always treated with respect and explained everything throughly, that made it easy for everyone to understand. I highly recommend Dr. Corenman and the Steadman Clinic.

Submit your review
First Name, Last Initial:
Email:
Review Title:
Rating:	1 2 3 4 5
Review:

Check this box to confirm you are human.
Submit Cancel