Pain in the uper neck (also around the left ear

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meni learn
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November 1, 2021 at 4:52 pm

Post count: 236

#34574

I have pain , long time in my neck (its chronic and after injury in past.
In 2016 i my first MRI (he show herniated disc on the half (50%) of left root c3-4 level .
Other level don’t show some herniated,but if i m look to the disc if them healthy (in this MRI UPER NECK I don’t things so (in level c2-4 also c4-5 (when measurements the disc in c4-5 for example its just 2 mm (maybe 2.5mm not more )
And c2-3 abd c3-4 looks degenerate.
Radiology. Report says this normal
Some spine surgeon say me different things also .
I think i developed osteoarthritis in the neck mostly in (uper neck c2-4 )
I read your topic on facet degenerative disease .
U say facet carry 30% of wiegth of c spine (the head ),other 70% goes on the disc .
I think i have arthritis in the neck
And its results of the trauma and cumulative trauma, affected of degeneration disc to degeneration of facet developed arthritis in the neck .
I read some of the symptoms of facet degeneration (c2-4 and see one of the symptoms its pain around the ear of temple (its could be what i feel
The greater occipital nerve c2 and the lesser occipital nerve c3
The c2 greater occipital originates from c2 and radiates up over the skull to the end of the forehead (this i not feel pain )
But the lesser occipital nerve originates from c3 and radiates around the ear to the temple (this i feel i think
This pain i feel around the left ear
And its chronic come from facet (from posterior nerves not from anterior nerves (the herniated of c3-4 on left side on root not also can do this pain
,I know from roots some roots goes anterior and some posterior
But the come from same root exit from level of spine .?(i think i see yes but split to anterior and posterior medial branch call to nerves run to facet and some mussels in back of the neck .
But what can affected on the pain around the ear (left ear its feel under and around the ear

Meni

meni learn
Participant

November 3, 2021 at 10:50 pm

Post count: 236

#34586

What i m try to say it is one of my symptoms its it is pain around the back of the left ear (stabbing and aching (this symptoms its on the last years (like 2 years if i remember good)
And it come also with symptoms of neck pain also on middle left side of neck and sometimes the pain come in back of neck with uper shoulder .
ABOUT WHAT I SEE IN MY eyes after a lot of listen and reading to the average person and it is :
in this MRI UPER NECK I don’t things so (in level c2-4 also degenerated c4-5 thin when measurements c4-5 its arrived(2 mm max to 2.5mm hight of this disc )
(cut line in MRI OF 2016 SAGITTAL IT 3 MM )
C2-4 look degenerative like i write.
With a long rest on the floor/bad (limited the forces of head the pain less after i sleep 7 Hours but 3-4 hours after the pain around the ear back and chronic a long the day one-2 hour chronic in Day (not a cross all the week sometime have break to this symptom.
Thanks for your attention.

Meni

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

November 4, 2021 at 9:19 am

Post count: 8660

#34588

Are you the gentleman whom I have been having ongoing discussions on this forum after you hit your head on the side of a pool while swimming laps?

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.

meni learn
Participant

November 4, 2021 at 1:26 pm

Post count: 236

#34591

correct .

Meni

meni learn
Participant

November 6, 2021 at 3:30 am

Post count: 236

#34604

I have do some examination: i checked by myself and see :
Finger escape sign (in the left hand
Very see this well .
On the right hand i not see this (very mild to what show in the left hand little finger )
I know this some of could be possitive sign to examination to cervical myelopathy .
The head feel heavy (i need to sit down ) another sign of degeneration of the disc in c apine by significant issues.
Also i can walk and swimm but i feel more heavy in my legs in the last mounts.
I have chronic neck pain a long time (worsen by over times )(i diagnosis myself to have arthritis in my neck alao can call cervical spondylosis)
Stiffness very usually (NECK stiff very often to other normal person .
***I have limited rotation to the left side to how much degrees compared to left side (so where atlanto axial joint respond for most rotation .
And arthritis in the uper neck developed from the degeneration of the disc on the front (MRI 2016 SHOW THIS DISC ARE PROBLEM)
and this degeneration disc diesase xome from i bumped my head on the wall of the pool (by backstroke it was at least speed 1.5 meter for second (I don’t know how much exactly this was but i hace what left in my skull where the head a collision with the wall (and what it do to the cervical spine.
thanks
I see my last mri (from last month)and also compared to before on your
And see change by CSF a round the posterior (c4 level)
Its see in very area ( in cut line 1.5 mm sagittal)(the slice in my to last mri show u the (150 mm of c s broken to 100 sliced 1.5mm
But also in sagittal (was 13 sliced of 3 mm cut (or 3.3) show compress by spinal cord (csf in this little area )
The CSF looks despair from more area (i can show u this what i mean .

Meni

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

November 6, 2021 at 9:41 am

Post count: 8660

#34605

Lets talk on the phone after I can personally review your images.

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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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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