Page 3 » Donald Corenman MD DC | Spine Surgeon Colorado

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Abbeygirl
Member

July 19, 2013 at 6:49 am

Post count: 40

in reply to: ct scans post fusion surgery #9058

Hi Doctor
I say this all the time but thanks for the great service you provide you have been a great help to me that you explain things that i can understand if it was not for your help i do not think i would be hear now any way Doctor my question is when you say revision surgery what would that involve sorry for being a pain thanks again

Abbeygirl
Member

June 21, 2013 at 6:00 pm

Post count: 40

in reply to: ct scans post fusion surgery #8918

Hi Doctor
I went to see my surgeon two days ago and she look at my ct scans and said that the bone has not grown at all and it has been six months since my surgery my symtoms seem worse than they were prior to surgery or should I say that I do not feel any better so I was wondering if you could tell me if the bone does not grow in the next three months what would be the next thing to do I dont think I could go through surgery again because that would mean 4 back surgeries and it would be three within 3 years your advice would be much appreciated

Abbeygirl
Member

July 4, 2012 at 10:04 am

Post count: 40

in reply to: Three level fusion #6481

Thanks very much for your reply doctor you have given me hope that I will be fine after I have just the one level fusion thanks again for this great service

Abbeygirl
Member

June 22, 2012 at 6:40 pm

Post count: 40

in reply to: operation fusion #6414

Hi DOCTOR Iwas wondering if you could explain my discogram results to me please L3-L4 The discogram was significantly positive at this level There is a significant defect in the anterior aspect of the annulus which results in contrast tracking into the circumference of the annulus through this defect immediately reproducing the patients low back pain A broad- based posterior disc bulge is noted L4-L5 Level The discogram is negative at this level a normal disc is demonstrated on CT. L5-S1 Level The discogram was strongly positive at this level with symptoms immediately reproduced The CT scan demonstrates that the disc space is significantly narrowed with a posterior disc extrusion demonstrated which contacts the descending nerve roots at this level Vacuum phenomenon and annular disc degeneration is noted Conclusion discograms at L3-4 and L5-S1 with a normal disc demonstrated at the L4-5 level doctor i also have a disc with the results but not sure how to attach it and Thank you so so much for the service you provide i am in so much pain that i am going insane but your answers help me a lot

Abbeygirl
Member

June 11, 2012 at 9:33 pm

Post count: 40

in reply to: operation fusion #6351

Thanks Doctor for your kind thoughts i hope i have got the best surgion i wished you were in australia i dont think i would be as nervious as i am now

Abbeygirl
Member

June 10, 2012 at 9:16 pm

Post count: 40

in reply to: operation fusion #6344

Hi Doctor I have not replied for a while waitng to go to nerosurgion to inform her that I will go ahead with surgery fusion L5/S1 but I have now got another problem and was wondering if you could give me your professional opion if this syptom could be coming from my back in the past couple of weeks I get pins and needles in my right foot on the side of the foot when i put pressure example when I take a step not always there but becoming more frequent i hope that is enough information one other thing the two surgions i have seen said that i will still have back pain after the surgery i hope not i am very nervious about this operation thanks again doctor for this great service
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Viewing 6 posts - 13 through 18 (of 25 total)

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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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Abbeygirl

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