Define disc and spine issues

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Tara
Member

March 1, 2012 at 3:50 am

Post count: 6

#5687

Dear Dr Corenman,

After a long wait to meet with Neuro surgeon, he has indicated he would not recommend surgery. He has indicated many people have the same issue I have with regards to MRI findings and some people have a great deal of pain and some no pain.unfortunately I’m one who has pain. He feels surgery would not provide me with the relief I am looking for. : i also have radiolopathy : left shoulder unable to lift from side, back scapula pain, pain to bend neck backwards, and to left shoulder, numbness and tingling in arms and hand and left leg.
I understand your input is only based on information I provide. I am just in a delicate sitiation of possibly asking for another opinion. Not because I really want surgery as an option, I just want to understand and see if I have any options. I do not want to spend another year searching for answers. I do not enjoy the medications and was working fulltime with a very active lifestyle up until this injury.
Thank you for any advice you provide.
Sincerely,
Tara

Tara
Member

March 28, 2012 at 11:17 pm

Post count: 6

#5870

Dear .dr Corenman,

I did review the sections you referred me to. I did meet with a Neuro surgeon. He showed me the nerve root compresson disc herniation. He is not prepared to do surgery. I was very confused as I am in a great deal of pain and unable to function. i asked him about spnal nerve blocks or alternatives but he just brushed it off.
I am referred to a pain clinic which is. A 1 year waiting list. I have booked an appointment with a private clinic for an overall second opinion and as you said specialize in spine. This is in Canada.
I have also been researching laser disc surgery in the USA. Can you please give me your thoughts regarding this.
If I have to travel to the USA for treatment I am considering this . I review your website regularly and watched all the programs. I valueyour opnion and this forum.
The sight is easy to understand. I am confused about these neck problems and the Neuro said I would be like this for a long time.
Thank you foryour advice.
Tara

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

March 29, 2012 at 2:04 am

Post count: 8660

#5873

Unfortunately based upon my experiences with Canadian patients, the medical care system in Canada is not geared to treat spinal pain unless there is severe motor deficit.

Laser spine surgery in my opinion is a fad and marketing tool. The laser simply ablates tissue and the beam spread can cause surrounding damage. Do not look into spine clinics in the States that tout “laser” spine surgery and have slick marketing campaigns.

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.

Tara
Member

March 29, 2012 at 2:36 am

Post count: 6

#5876

Thank you for your quick reply. I am so glad I asked. I heard about laser, but like everyone we search the web for answers. I could not find any forums rating laser. The companies make it sound so successful. The cost is very expensive. On goodle it provides their sites and their ratings showing how grea it is.

You are very correct with regards to Spine experience. GP’s can only prescribe meds and make referrals. The Neuro who took care of me showed me the herniation, disc bulges and nerve root compression, said I will be in pain for a long time. But would not do surgery. The Neuro does not provide options for pain relief. I was hospitalized in Feb. because my neurologist thought I had spinal cord damage (i was in a MVA in January just to add to my issues).

Which only confuses me because surgery is a last resort. I am going to try a pain clinic. If that does not provide adequate relief. I will defnitely be exploring more options.
I tried asking about spinal nerve root block , emg, or discograghy but the doctor just looked atme like I was crazy. I just wanted to know if I would be a candidate for any options.

I understand completely that neck issues can provide pain and that i am one of the unlucky ones to suffer longterm pain.

Once again thank you for this forum. You are wonderful in providing advice. Ive watched you on all the programs you appeared on and I think I read this whole site. It is very clear and concise and easy to understand.
If things do not go well in the pain management. Can I speak to your office with regards to options?
Sincerely
Tara

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

March 29, 2012 at 2:57 am

Post count: 8660

#5879

You can call the office at (970) 476-1100 for further information.

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.

Donald Corenman
Keymaster

March 29, 2012 at 2:57 am

Post count: 52

#5880

You may be interested in this article that Dr. Corenman contributed to on the subject of laser spine surgery: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-04/laser-spine-surgery-more-profitable-than-google-sees-surge-in-complaints.html
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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.

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