Donald Corenman MD DC | Spine Surgeon Colorado

Forum Replies Created

Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

Author

Posts
ExpatWarrior
Member

February 3, 2014 at 3:24 am

Post count: 5

in reply to: What does this mean? #10301

Thank you Dr. for your input. I chose Surgeon #2. I’m still sore after the surgery (6 days ago), but the original symptoms are gone (so far). Dr. told me to take it easy for a couple of weeks. It really hurts when I try to lay down and off course getting up. Other than that, boredom has set in…I can’t wait to be active again.

Thanks again, Dr…

Take care,
EW

ExpatWarrior
Member

February 3, 2014 at 3:19 am

Post count: 5

in reply to: What does this mean? #10300

Spineless Wench,

Thank you for your awesome post. Sorry for my late response, as I went ahead with the surgery this past week. It took some time to make the decision. Ultimately, it came down to my personal goals: Decrease the weakness/pain/numbness in my right leg; Provide stability in my spine (L5-S1) – with hopes of no further injury while running, biking, and swimming; and finally Quality of Life – I want to be able to stay active as long as I can. The kicker were two other factors: First, timing…I’m at a point in my professional career to were I can take 2-3 months to rehab and still be fit for duty. Second, at 38years old and in decent shape, I hope to rehab faster than if I were to wait 10 years (48 years old). My only problem was that I truly felt that I did not need the surgery. I understood the diagnosis and the mechanics behind my condition. I simply thought I could just “walk it off…shake it off or its only in my mind.”

Anyway….You hit the nail on the head and now I’m taking the BULL BY THE HORNS. I’m still a bit sore rom the surgery. I’ve been walking slowly around the house and a couple times for 50 yards outside. Thanks again for sharing your story.

Take care,
EW

ExpatWarrior
Member

January 26, 2014 at 2:04 am

Post count: 5

in reply to: What does this mean? #10244

I forgot to mention a couple things…

MRI Results:

“T1 and T2 images were taken in parasgittal plane and transzially from L3 to S1.

At L1-2, L2-3 and L3-4 the discs are normal in height, configuration and signal. The conus medullaris is unaffected.”

Neurologist #1 interpretation of MRI:
“Pinched Nerve, all you need is a laminectomy.”

Neurologist #2 interpretation of MRI:
“You have a spondy grade 1, pars defect. Laminectomy would cause further instability. So I recommend the Laminectomy with lumber fusion to stabilize your spine. Your pars defect could be congenital or possibly from an injury (I could not pin point an injury as I am active at work) or degenerative. If you wait, you could permanently damage your nerves and instability will get worse. You can continue to run, but if the leg starts weaking or numbing, STOP! I recommend you do the surgery as you will be back to activities as little as 4-6 weeks.”

Thanks for reading…

ExpatWarrior
Member

January 25, 2014 at 10:29 pm

Post count: 5

in reply to: What does this mean? #10243

Thank you for your response, Dr.

My neurosurgeon (the second one) said the same thing about the laminectomy (by itself). Instead, he is going to do the laminectomy (L5-S1, bilateral) to free up the nerve and a lumbar fusion (with pedicle screws) to provide stability and avoid further slippage. I’ve decided to go with surgery with the hopes of being mobile (running) again. I have a physically demanding career, so I’m going schedule this as soon as I can.

I’ve tried injections and it does not help. I’ve lost weight and the numbess and tightness is still there. I need to be mobile and currently I can run. But when I do this, I pay a hefty price for a week or so. I can handle the pain, but my primary care physician says that I’m damaging myself (Back) through this cyclical run, rest, run, rest routine. The weird thing is while I’m running, swimming, or biking I don’t feel the pain. My doctors believe this is because of the endorphins kicking in. The only time I really feel pain and numbness is days afterwards and while walking or simply standing.

Physical Thereapy…I didn’t really take this seriously until a few months ago. My neurosurgeon said I’m past this and I could damage my nerves even more. My therapist also says that I should do the surgery because its better in the long run.

I’m writing because “mechanically” I know I need to be fixed. My pride is telling me push on. I’m nervous and hopeful at the same time. I’m 38yrs old with a lot more to offer to my family and career. I do find myself doing minimal activity to preserve my strength. Laying down all weekend is not me–but it has become me. Have I done all I could without surgery? Althought two MRIs (2012 and 2013) have shown progressive slippage, will it really get worse if I countinue my cycle of running? Am I really a “ticking time bomb?” Is it really better to do the surgery now versus later?

What do you think doctor or anyone else out there that feels or felt like me?

Thanks.
Author

Posts

Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

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

ExpatWarrior

Forum Replies Created