flexion & extension x-ray of 2017

Tagged: cervical degenerative kyphosis causing degenerative spondylolisthesis C4-5

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appleannie
Participant

May 26, 2018 at 8:56 am

Post count: 129

#28349

Hi Dr. Corenman,
First Thank You for answering my questions for me. I have one more question !! Can the Kyphotic Angulation I have at C4-5 cause my Degenerative Slip and the Mild Instability I have at C4-5 level? Dr.Corenman Thank You again for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer my question for me. Have a great memorial day weekend !!

Thank You,

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

May 26, 2018 at 11:08 pm

Post count: 8660

#28352

Yes, the degenerative slip at C4-5 can be commonly caused by kyphosis but facet erosion has to be part of the equation too.

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.

appleannie
Participant

May 29, 2018 at 7:03 pm

Post count: 129

#28399

Hello Dr. Corenman,
I saw my Spine Doctor PA today and he said that I have Hypermobility at C4-5, but he said he would not characterize me as grossly Unstable, because of the Autofusion at C5-6 level. Dr. Corenman you told me above in a previous post that I have mild to moderate Instability at C4-5 level and I have to be careful what I do. Dr.Corenman could you please view my X-rays again on this Post and let me know your opinion on what you think I have Hypermobility or Instability at C4-5 level.? and your opinion on the Autofusion I have at C5-6 would it stabilize the C4-5 like what the PA said it would or it won’t.Dr.Corenman Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions for me.

Thank You,

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

May 29, 2018 at 11:45 pm

Post count: 8660

#28402

Sorry but with so many previous spots, you would have to give me the number of that particular post to find the previous image. I do remember that image vaguely however. You do have mild instability of that level. It is probably not enough to consider surgery by itself but does require elimination of skydiving without a parachute as an activity restriction.

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.

appleannie
Participant

May 30, 2018 at 10:08 am

Post count: 129

#28405

Hi Dr.Corenman,
Here’s the numbers for the post you need to look at the images. #26609 #26610 #26700

Dr.Corenman could you please take a look at my X-RAYS especially my flexion view and Extension view and let me know for sure if the C4-5 level is mild instability or mild to moderate instability like you told me in a previous post I had.

Dr.Corenman why I’M asking you is because the PA I saw said I have Hypermobility at C4-5 level and would not characterize me as grossly Unstable, because of the Autofusion I have at C5-6 level will support my cervical spine if I was in a car accident or have a bad fall.

Could you please let me know if I have Hypermobility or mild to moderate instability at C4-5 level ? Which one do I have ? Could you please give me your opinion on the Autofusion at C5-6 level whether it would or not support my C4-5 level if I was in a car accident or had a bad fall.

I told the PA that if I did really have an Autofusion at C5-6 level it would not stabilize the C4-5 level and he told me who’s the Doctor here you or I and I told him he was but he’s wrong. Dr.Corenman I remembered you told me that the Autofusion at C5-6 level would not support my C4-5 level. Here’s what you told me in the post # 25343.(IDR)

Dr. Corenman please let me know if I have Hypermobility or mild to moderate instability at C4-5 level like you told me and to be careful what I do. Dr.Corenman was I right to tell the PA he was wrong about the Autofusion ? Dr. Corenman I trust you and you’ve been a big help with all the information you gave me about cervical spine and I really appreciate it. Thank You again for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions for me.

Thank You,

appleannie
Participant

May 31, 2018 at 8:11 am

Post count: 129

#28420

Hi Dr.Corenman,
I hope those are the right numbers in my previous post to look at my images. Thank You again !!!
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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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