Page 4 » Donald Corenman MD DC | Spine Surgeon Colorado

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Cjdegood
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October 12, 2019 at 7:11 am

Post count: 26

in reply to: Severe Coccyx pain that is affecting rectal area #31291

Dr. Coleman
Thank you so much for the information. I went to my appointment yesterday morning with a local spine orthopedic here. He reviewed my MRIs and did an Xray there in the office. You were right on it! He said he could give me an injection, however that would only be a temporary fix. so i am scheduled for microdiskectomy on November 6th. I am relieved and anxious. I cried happy tears. while nothing is 100% he is 90% sure i will feel better. i do have to wait until i am 6 weeks post op from my abdominal hysterectomy. But looking forward to feeling close to normal again. i am ready to get my life back after nearly 8 months of severe pain that kept me from doing all the things i love! (like holding my grandbabies) and taking our 12 hour road trips to see them. his office is very busy and he is top rated in our Houston area, but the wait was definitely worth it! i did fail to ask a couple of questions.. no rush on getting back to me, but during this procedure, since it is micro.. if there was anything else in the spine, would the doctor be able to see it? i am sure this is outpatient and i can go home the same day, but was curious about that. i signed a paper that stated if there was anything else or something like that when they went in, that i am giving permission for them to correct it. But 2 inches is very small opening, so not sure what else they could see. Thank you again for your time and the inforamtion. I truly appreciate it. And i am so happy that i am not getting another injection that doesnt last long.
Sincerely,
Connie

Cjdegood
Participant

October 9, 2019 at 3:21 pm

Post count: 26

in reply to: Severe Coccyx pain that is affecting rectal area #31274

Dr. Coleman
Thank you again for your time. I am seeing a different Spine orthopedic this Friday. I am hoping to get more clarification from him. The first one i called to schedule just off a google search for my area, as i had to get in to see one before i could have my hysterectomy. I do not think he even remembered anything he told me from the first visit which was very short and basically was scheduled for ganglion impar block and gabapentin. So after a lot of thought and research, i decided to seek out and ask my gynecologist for a referral on someone in our area. I wanted to mention, that this week i have felt a little better..maybe it takes a while for the block and or the gabapentin to work? I had the block done on 09/11 and started taking the medicine the 10th 9(day before the procedure) I only took 1 per day for 5 and then 2 per day for 5 days, and finally 3 times per day. While the pain is not completely gone, i am able to tolerate it more and at least function during the day. now.. i do not want to live with this pain. I have what I hope to be a very long bright future ahead of me! Would love to get back to working out and my evening walks. I know I cannot right now, due to recovering from surgery, but hopefully in just a couple of more weeks that will be done. I have been so focused on the pain in the bottom and dreading BM that i consider everything else secondary. On my first visit the Dr. did a few test in room. One of which was reflexes. My left side is definitely different from my right. I have zero reflexes in my left foot, while the tool he used on my feet was sharp on the right foot and very dull on the left. That was very weird. lol I have delt with lower back pain and of course cannot ride in the car very long for years now. Like i said in my prior post, it takes me holding the handle in the car and trying to ease out slowly as the pain can take your breath away. so i wanted to break down the last portion of this MRI on the lumbar so maybe i can know a little more when i go in this week.
L4 L5 posterior central disc extrusion tracking below the level of disc space spanning 13mm in raniocaudal extent measuring 7.5mm AP X 29 mm Transverse. This narrows the thecal sac to 8.5mm with contact of the descending right greater than the left L5 nerve roots.
Impression:
L4 L5 Posterior central disc extrusion narrowing the thecal sac to 8.5 mm with contact of the descending right greater than the left L5 nerve roots. Mild facet arthrosis, disc height loss, and foraminal disc components contribute to the mild right and moderate left neural foraminal stenosis with disc material contacting the exiting left L4 nerve root. Small disc bulges seen L3 L4 with mild facet arthrosis at L3 L4
it seems like these 2 paragraphs are just repeating each other unless Impression means the final things the radiologist noticed and wanted to make Dr.aware of.
Also.. i am going to be honest. I really do not want temporary fix for this. I know its not a good reason, but at this point after going through everything i have this year. I met my annual deductable. i can tell you that once the new comes around, I will be done. I will not endure any more expensive tests, injections etc. I just cannot do that. So if there is a way i can have this fixed and resolved, that is what I want to do. Any suggestions on what i should ask the doctor would be greatly appreciated. I really want to live normal and do all the things i love again. especially with my grandkids. hopefully looking forward to 2020. Thank you so much for your time again, i hope i havent taken too much of it and i may have done some repeating, but did want to add the lower back pain to my symptoms.

Cjdegood
Participant

October 3, 2019 at 12:35 pm

Post count: 26

in reply to: Severe Coccyx pain that is affecting rectal area #31230

Thank you so very much for replying. you are the one and only that has even acknowledged me. I am on the search for a 2nd opinion before i go and have this Bone Spect/CT of the sacrum & coccyx. i am sure that is going to cost me some more $$.. the steroid injection is not scheduled yet since i am recovering from surgery. I did fail to ask if a MRI of the Lumbar spine would show the coccyx? I did not see any mention of it. However it was mentioned on the pelvic MRI prior to my hysterectomy. it stated it was normal. I have seen primary care physician, OB/GYN/Gastroenterolgist, Orthopedic spine/pain management Dr. So at this time i am not really sure who to see? i have searched and i found Neurologist that specialize in the spine.. maybe this is the dr? i am just looking for relief any way i can. But i cannot get ganglion blocks for$745 that only work a few days. I really want to be able to take car trip to see my grandkids for Thanksgiving. I dont take any of the pain meds execpt for the 800MG of ibuprofen that was prescribed after surgery. I do not take tramedol, hydrocodone or any other strong medicine,because i cannot function while taking them. so it is unlikely that the neural foraminal stenosis where the disc extrusion is located and the nerve root contact at the L5 is causing the extreme pain in the tailbone and the sharp stabbing and throbbing after BM. well.. i guess this is the process of elimination. I so appreciate your reply. Thank you again
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Viewing 3 posts - 19 through 21 (of 21 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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Cjdegood

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