Donald Corenman MD DC | Spine Surgeon Colorado

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RAVI
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January 12, 2015 at 3:22 am

Post count: 9

in reply to: pain in opposite leg after laminectomy #12002

Its been 4.5 months to the surgery . and I have started core strengthening exercises just 15 days ago . I don’t do any running . pain is improved just 20% after exercises . immediately after exercise , like spine flexiln and abdominal muscle exercise I feel complete relief from back pain till the next 15 minutes . but the pain gradually returns after that . my leg pain is almost 95% gone . I am 22 year old , and I am always concerned that will I ever be able to live a normal life everybody other , like playing football , carrying your own luggage , and lifting not heavy but moderate weights ?
Should I wait for a month for the results to improve for having MRI . or a MRI can help physiotherapist to plan a proper exercise plan .

RAVI
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January 5, 2015 at 9:19 pm

Post count: 9

in reply to: pain in opposite leg after laminectomy #11936

HI Dr, Corenmann ,

i am still having pain in back , and a mild pain in leg . leg pain is mild only , but back pain bothers me . i can bend forward , and SLR is also 90 degree . i do not have pain with any specific movement like bending or anything but i feel uncomfortable if i sit on a chair with inclined support , i feel comfortable only on a chair with straight back support . i am confused what may be the reason of the current pain . i have started some spine extension exercised , and i feel a bit relief immediately after the exercise but after half an hour the same situation .

RAVI
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December 28, 2014 at 11:03 pm

Post count: 9

in reply to: pain in opposite leg after laminectomy #11919

my herniation size was 8 mm , and before the surgery i was having more back pain and SLR was 20 degree . and after the surgery SLR is 90 degree . but no improvement in back pain . one of the doctors advise me to go for contrast MRI but i didn’t . now after researching so much i feel that i should have went . is there a chance that my disc outer layer was intact in this much large herniation and surgery might not have been needed . ? or the cause of back pain now is still inflammation sinuvertebral nerves ?

RAVI
Member

December 2, 2014 at 4:41 pm

Post count: 9

in reply to: pain in opposite leg after laminectomy #11817

as the nerve compression was the reason of leg pain . but why do i have back pain still in the left side back, back is not much
related to the nerve . . left side back muscles feel bit heavy then right side back muscles .
and the back pain is not like muscular pain as some can have with fatigued muscles .
if i want to have a new MRI , should i go for contrast MRI , would that be more helpful ?

RAVI
Member

November 21, 2014 at 1:57 pm

Post count: 9

in reply to: pain in opposite leg after laminectomy #11769

and one more thing ..
my stomach side fat( belly side fat) is noticeably more on left side than on right side . it was even there before the surgery too . i thought it is because my walking style was distorted ,more pressure on left side . but its been 3 months the fat is still unequal on both sides
any specific reason for this ?

RAVI
Member

November 21, 2014 at 1:28 pm

Post count: 9

in reply to: pain in opposite leg after laminectomy #11768

its been 3 months after surgery now . my pain has been reduced . and the pain in the opposite leg is completely gone now . but previously i used to have some fluctuating pain in my left side ( it was the painful side before the surgery as the herniation was on left side L4-L5) . Now i have pain only in left side back . i haven’t started any exercises , walking is the only exercise i used to do .. when i did some exercise “spine flexibility and extension ” my back was having discomfort that day . and is it normal to still have pain in the back ( and leg pain is just very mild ) after 3 months post-op . Though the pain is tolerable and it is zero in morning when i wake up and in the evening it becomes more .
should i start good exercises morning and evening like pushups and running ,
and should i continue those exercises advised by physiotherapist even if they cause discomfort . will it help ?
and is this pain is part of normal healing process even after 3 months .
my nerve was severely compressed before the surgery .
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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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RAVI

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