Back Pain and Neck Pain - continuing for the last 2 months

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sriram2107
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August 30, 2013 at 7:27 pm

Post count: 4

#9294

Hi Doctor,

I have raised this question before and also got a response, but needed some more clarifications.

I have back pain and it is getting severe over the past few months.
Everyday when I wake up from sleep, I am unable to move for sometime.
I am a software programmer, hope you understand my lifestyle and working style involves a lot of sitting and working.
But I walk regularly at least 3-4 kms per day. Now a days even while shopping for a minimum time I get back pain.

Can you help me read the MRI report. This was taken almost 2 months back when I initially had the back pain.

FINDINGS:
– Mild scoliosis of dorsal spine noted with convexity to left side – due to spasm.
– Vertebral bodies are normal in height and signal intensity.
– The intervertebral discs ore normol. No significant disc bulge / herniation.
– The spinal cord shows normal signal intensity.
– No intraspinal or extra spinal mass lesion
– Pre and paraspinal soft tissues are normal.
– Facet joints are normal.
– Screening of cervical and lumbar spine revealed partial disc desiccation at multiple
levels with small disc bulge at C3 – C4, C4 – C5, L4 – L5 and L5 – Sl levels causing
mild indentation over anterior subarachnoid space.

You have answered the below –

his reading contradicts itself. In one sentence, the radiologist states “The intervertebral discs are normal. No significant disc bulge / herniation”

This individual then states “Screening of cervical and lumbar spine revealed partial disc desiccation at multiple levels with small disc bulge at C3 – C4, C4 – C5, L4 – L5 and L5 – Sl levels causing mild indentation over anterior subarachnoid space”.

Assuming that you have mild degenerative disc disease at L4-S1, this would be a source for lower back pain. Assuming that this is true, you need a good rehabilitation program involving stretching, strengthening and conditioning the muscles and ligaments of the lumbar spine.

My Question is –

The Back Pain is continuing and I also have neck pain from the past 2 weeks, sometimes after I wake up I am not able to turn my neck sideways. Also sometimes I feel my BP levels are going up, I get tensed, shout on ppl around…etc. Does it mean there is some serious situation.
I am planning for marriage in the next few months, Hope there will be no issues.

Thanks a lot.

Regards,
s

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

August 31, 2013 at 5:27 pm

Post count: 8660

#9304

Back pain has many sources. Patients who are worse in the morning (increased pain and stiffness) but improve when up during the morning can have a number of different disorders. The two main ones are degenerative disc disease and spondyloarthropathy.

A good history and physical examination can help to narrow the differential diagnosis between these two disorders.

As I have said before, the report that you provide is incongruous. On one hand, the radiologist states that there is nothing wrong with the discs;”the intervertebral discs are normal. No significant disc bulge / herniation”.

Then the radiologist notes degenerative changes in the discs; “Screening of cervical and lumbar spine revealed partial disc desiccation at multiple
levels with small disc bulge at C3 – C4, C4 – C5, L4 – L5 and L5 – Sl levels causing
mild indentation over anterior subarachnoid space”.

Lower back pain can commonly be generated by the lumbar discs. Neck pain can also be generated by the cervical discs. Neither one of these issues is dangerous. Pain can cause increased blood pressure and anxiety can be caused by depression brought about by pain.

You might need a good rehabilitation program to help you with your spine dysfunction.

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.
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Donald Corenman, MD, DC

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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.

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Back Pain and Neck Pain – continuing for the last 2 months