my back and neck

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

Author

Posts
tampa1170
Member

August 26, 2013 at 11:15 am

Post count: 3

#9274

Hi Dr Corenman, I just had my latest mri of my back done and it reads, Vertebrae have normal height. Hemangioma is noted within the L2 vertebral body. T11-12 Loss of disc height and hydration. Diffuse circumferential disc bulge indents the anterior thecal sac. A 1cm, rounded, high T2 signal intensity lesion arises from the posterolateral left renal cortex most compatible with a cyst. T12-L1-L2 Loss of disc height and hydration most pronounced at L1-2 level. Neural foramina appear patent bilaterally at both levels. Superimposed right posterolateral disc herniation narrows right latteral recess at T12-L1 level. L2-3,L3-4 no herniated nucleus pulposus or significant central spinal canal stenosis. The neural foramina appear essentially patent. L4-5 Posterolateral disc buldge in combination with facet arthropathy narrows the bilateral neural foramina. A 3mm synovial cyst arises from the inferior aspect of the left articular facet. L5-S1 Loss of disc height and hydration.Broad based disc herniation eccentic to the left and underlying tear effaces ventral epidural fat indenting the left anterior thecal sac abutting and displacing the left S1 nerve root with narrowing of the left lateral recess. Neural foramina are narrowed bilaterally, most narrowed on the left. I am supposed to get my neck checked, my last one said that I had some bulging and norrowing at C3-4-5. C5-6 loss of disc height and hydration with diffuse circumferential disc bulge indenting the anterior thecal sac. The neural foramina are stenotic bilaterally. C-6-7 Loss of disc hydration. disc bulge indents the anterior thecal sac. The neural foramina are stenotic bilaterally. C2-3/7-T1 no herniated nucleus pulposus or significant central spinal canal stenosis. The neural foramina appear essentially patent. Cerviothoracic levoscioliosis is noted. The vertebrae have normal height and marrow signal with reversal of the cervical lordosis. I have lost 40 lbs since my last mri to my neck and I have felt really weak and really sore. I feel like I have constant weight I am carrying around and cant walk a straight line with out stumbling. I WENT FROM 185 TO 145 at 6 ft. I am really concerned because I was told my back has gotten worse from a year ago and my neck is to be checked next. It was not explained really well about my neck or my back and I was wanting to know if you could help ? I also use to have a good memory and now its not as good. Please help ?? Sorry for any misspelling. Thank You very much, David.

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

August 26, 2013 at 8:31 pm

Post count: 8660

#9275

MRI readings do not exist in a vacuum. Many findings on the MRI may not be symptomatic and many symptoms may not be reflected in an MRI. Please see the section on the website regarding how to describe symptoms to better describe what you are having problems with.

Your statement; “I have lost 40 lbs since my last mri to my neck and I have felt really weak and really sore” concerns me if this was not intentional weight loss (you purposely dieted and desired to lose weight). If you lose weight for no apparent reason, you need to visit your personal physician soon to discuss why you lost weight. The are many disorders that need to be ruled out if that is the case.

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.

tampa1170
Member

August 28, 2013 at 12:35 am

Post count: 3

#9282

thank you !!! dr.corenman I am working on it. my dr. are moving slow on this and I feel terrible everyday. I appreciate you getting back to me. You are a wonderful person. My dr. has done blood work and found my white blood cell count high a few times and my thyroid was in hypo not hyper. and as far as a appetite i don’t have much of one. I use to enjoy eating and now everything seems blah. I do force myself to eat though.

tampa1170
Member

August 28, 2013 at 1:02 am

Post count: 3

#9283

I have done physical work but no more than I done in my life at 42. I am not currently working I am calling out because I am afraid of hurting myself worse. I see my Dr. on Sept.6 , hopefully he can do something he already did epidural for 7 days and wants to do another one because he said my back should have got better from that but it has gotten worse.

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

August 28, 2013 at 8:34 pm

Post count: 8660

#9286

I’m happy to see that your family physician is looking into your weight loss. This of all your reported symptoms is the most concerning and the one finding that needs the most attention now.

In regards to your back, what are your current symptoms? See the section on the website regarding how to describe symptoms to better convey what you are experiencing.

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.
Author

Posts

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

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