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carolns
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June 7, 2013 at 11:17 pm

Post count: 88

in reply to: please see my mri and explain it some to me….thank you #8825

I have severe pain under my right skull and pins and needle go to the top of my head. and also my left ear and jaw get pins and needles not as bad as my right side.I have had this for 14 mts. My pain comes and go. Driving my car makes it worse and so does sitting. My neck is very weak.
Had therapy,tens,hot,cold,accupture helped the most.Saw DR. in Halifax and he thinks I need a operation.
Going to have flexion/extension xrays in a few months to see if there is stability at c2 and c3 there. If my c2 and c3 is stable do you think surgery is necessary if I can live with the pain?
I am 72 so don’t do alot. Like to walk though.thank you so much
hope this is what you meant carol

Please please excuse me for not posting right….find it very hard to follow directions here…..sorry carol

carolns
Participant

June 4, 2013 at 10:36 pm

Post count: 88

in reply to: please see my mri and explain it some to me….thank you #8799

I have severe pain under my right skull and pins and needle go to the top of my head. and also my left ear and jaw get pins and needles not as bad as my right side.I have had this for 14 mts. My pain comes and go. Driving my car makes it worse and so does sitting. My neck is very weak.
Had therapy,tens,hot,cold,accupture helped the most.Saw DR. in Halifax and he thinks I need a operation.
Going to have flexion/extension xrays in a few months to see if there is stability at c2 and c3 there. If my c2 and c3 is stable do you think surgery is necessary if I can live with the pain?
I am 72 so don’t do alot. Like to walk though.thank you so much
hope this is what you meant carol

carolns
Participant

May 30, 2013 at 3:14 am

Post count: 88

in reply to: c2 and c3 please #8764

MRI CERVICAL SPINE
HISTORY….ANTEOLISTHESIS
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
PRODUCTURE(S) c-spine ne with 1 pul seq-vc

Anterolisthesis of c2 c3
Findings…Sagittal t1 flair were obtained through the cervical spine. Axial gradient echo sequences were obtained rfom c2 and c3

Comparrisons 8/9/2012 CT
Their is no Chiari 1 malformation. No cord signal abormality is seen.There is reversal of of the normal cervical lordosis. There is a multilevel degeneration disc disease with severe degenerative disc disease from C4 -. C7
There is multilevel bilateral facet oa

c2-c3…There is a 5mm anterolisthesis of c2 on c3 unchanged causing mild to moderate spinal canal stenosis. There is associated didc bulge containing the cervical cord but no cord signal abormamality. There is to .
mild to moderate right neural foramen narrowing secondary to osteophyte.
The Posterior longitudinal ligament appears intact.

Can’t make out c3 and c4 from printer

c4 c5There is posterior osteophyte contacting the cord. Mild to moderate spinal canal stenosis There is is moderate left neural from narrowing and mild to moderate right neual foramen narrowing.

c5 c6There is left paracentral/lateral recess disc osteophyte complex contracting the cord.No cord signial
abnormality. T here is moderate spinal canal stenosis. There is moderate left neural foremen narrowing, and mild right neural foramen narrowing.

c6 c7 Small disc osteophyte complex. N osignificent spinal canal stenosis.There is mild left neural foremaen narrowing.

impression
There is a 5m anterolistheses of c2=c3 associated with mild to moderate spinal canal stenosis. Fusion of of the left c3-c4 facet which may be the cause of for the hypomobile of the upper cervical spine at c2-c3 causing anterolisthesis. F lexion/extension xrays may be helpful to assess for stability.
There is moderate spinal canal stenosis at c5 c6. There is mild to moderate spinal canal stenosis at c4-c5 Multilevel degenerative disease.

I typed this with one finger on note and put on word by word. Hope it make sense and Dr Coleman can tell me what it means please. Carol

carolns
Participant

May 15, 2013 at 8:52 pm

Post count: 88

in reply to: c2 and c3 please #8672

I asked him and he said the back. I am waiting to see what my flexion test says. I just can’t rush into this as I want to know what he plans on doing and he doesn’t think it will take the pain away. I am to call him if I get worse. Is there many people who have this fusion in their neck and is the success rate good? I am so scared. thanks carol

carolns
Participant

May 15, 2013 at 7:50 pm

Post count: 88

in reply to: c2 and c3 please #8667

Dr.Corenman, What is the operation called for fusion on the neck please?
thanks Carol

carolns
Participant

May 14, 2013 at 6:03 am

Post count: 88

in reply to: c2 and c3 please #8655

I just got back from Halifax from seeing the neurosurgeon. He thinks my neck is not good and should be fused…..operation …..scared of me being paralyzed….think it is a 11/2 and if it goes to 3 not good…..said they have to take the muscle of to get to it…..in hospital a week and 6 weeks of therapy at home..
The pain is on both sides now and if it gets worse to call him. Told me he is more concerned of the spinal cord than pain and can’t guarantee with surgery the pain would be gone.The mri showed a lot.
I mentioned flexion/xrays and in 2 mts I go back to see how bad it is. Mention facet and nerve blocks and he thinks they are very dangerous.
He said if I fall and get paralazed they can’t fix that but with the surgery it would protect me. Not what I wanted to hear but I just couldn’t say I wanted surgery…..that is when he suggested the flexion/xrays. Very tired as it was 100 mile drive. I am going to my family doctor if I can get in and get a copy of the mri…..carol
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Viewing 6 posts - 61 through 66 (of 75 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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carolns

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