Donald Corenman MD DC | Spine Surgeon Colorado

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Vjenkins
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April 23, 2014 at 12:44 am

Post count: 10

in reply to: Nerve pain, back pain and numbness in hands and feet #10808

If I close my eyes when I’m standing with feet together, I will sway and would fall over if I didn’t stop myself. Does this mean anything to you? I believe this is Rhomberg’s test. I am in no way influencing the test either, I just close my eyes and with my hands either at my sides or out, I will sway and would fall over if I didn’t put my foot out. Just curious if this means anything.

Vjenkins
Member

April 22, 2014 at 2:08 am

Post count: 10

in reply to: Nerve pain, back pain and numbness in hands and feet #10797

Update to this topic is that I have an appointment with a neurologist this Friday, April 25. I can’t wait to hopefully get some more answers. I have experienced more symptoms these past weeks. I have now burning down my legs, I have been dropping things and I seem to be having some muscle weakness in my hands, these are in addition to the numbness in hands and feet. I am having concentration issues and frankly do not feel myself, my coordination is off.

I’m been trying to educate myself on this site and others and have a few ideas but mostly I have been honing in on MS, this appears to explain all my symptoms. Ofcourse, I will not depend on this as further testing will need to be done by a professional.

Any thoughts Dr. Corenman?

Vjenkins
Member

April 15, 2014 at 2:28 am

Post count: 10

in reply to: Nerve pain, back pain and numbness in hands and feet #10739

Thanks again for responding and so quickly. I’m going to see about scheduling an EMG and NCV. I’ve been reading a bit about peripheral neuropathy and distal neuropathy. The distal neuropathy, as you had mentioned sounds like what I have. The question is, from what and how to treat? My neurosurgeon hasn’t read the results or contacted me yet, I will definitely mention these issues/concerns and request the above mentioned tests.

What did you think of my MRI results, could you please comment on that?
I’m curious to know what you think of the results.

As always, thanks for your time.

Vjenkins
Member

April 14, 2014 at 8:05 am

Post count: 10

in reply to: Nerve pain, back pain and numbness in hands and feet #10721

Thank Dr. Corenman for responding. My neurosurgeon took an X-ray of my neck that day and he did not see anything. He said it looked like my bones were healing well. You mentioned another MRI of my cervical spine, I will ask him to do this.

I had recently had my blood checked for GHP and iron, no issues there except low vit D, which I’m taking. I do not think they checked my B12 only my B6 if I recall correctly, not did my magnesium get checked.

I’m not sure what the reference acronyms are but will look up. Also, the exam was very minimal, he only very slightly rubbed the side of my foot, that is all.

I will look into seeing a neurologist as well. My neurosurgeon really didn’t say or do much, just ordered the MRI. It would be great to figure this out.

If you have any other thoughts please post, thank you for your advice.

Vjenkins
Member

August 17, 2013 at 7:18 am

Post count: 10

in reply to: In need of corroboration #9235

Dr. Corenman:

I’m day 5 post op surgery for my ACCF. The first few days were a bit rough for me with the anesthesia. It made me sick, but once it came out of my system it was better. I know everyone reacts differently to this.

Also right now pain level manageable with just Tylenol, I took tylenol with the smallest dose of hydrocodone for 3 days. Sleeping has been a bit difficult with the collar but I was told tonight I don’t have to wear it.

Dizziness is gone, numbness in the legs and arms is gone except for a few fingertips on my left hand. Some throat and swallowing discomfort. This seems to improve everyday. I am eating very soft foods still. I’m having some muscle spasms on the right side of my neck, which should subside as well.

I do not regret the surgery when I think of what could happen if left untreated.

I am hoping not to undergo this again anytime in the future.

Thanks for your advice and suggestions.

VJ

Vjenkins
Member

August 8, 2013 at 8:48 am

Post count: 10

in reply to: In need of corroboration #9159

Thanks again for your quick response. I have been having alot of dizziness and headaches, which I believe is also related to all of this.

Is this due to the compression? Just curious about this aspect of the condition as it is driving me crazy. I’m hoping this will be resolved after the surgery.

Please advise and thanks.

V J
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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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Vjenkins

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