Donald Corenman MD DC | Spine Surgeon Colorado

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Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

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eredy
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October 2, 2012 at 7:49 pm

Post count: 7

in reply to: Cervical Instability C1 C2 #7080

i have had the same problem when it comes to a neurosurgeon saying there was nothing wrong with me .i also found out threw a m.d. this same neurosurgeon i saw wrote in a report that i had a herniated disc that has ruptured . you might try to get the report that the radiologist did and see if that neurosurgeon did a report he just didn’t want you to see get these it might help you in the long run

eredy
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October 1, 2012 at 5:56 am

Post count: 7

in reply to: MRI and diagnosis #7060

had a nerve block all three with little help . my last one was in Feb 2012 was a radio wave .these blocks didn’t help . the first block did work for about 2-3 hrs and gradually wore off after that . have had over 8 cortisone shots from 7 2011 to 7 2012, have had injections pin point injection aka shot just under the skin, closest to the disc with out danger of hitting the spine .the first worked about 4 to 6 then wore off the others never worked.your video on how to read a m.r.i.really helps.the disc looks like its moved foreword compressing the spinal cord.could this rupture be on the nerve root rubbing it causing this pain down my arm and making my hands and arms hurt ? i have been told i shouldn’t hurt in my hands like this but read in other places this can happen.

eredy
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October 1, 2012 at 5:27 am

Post count: 7

in reply to: MRI and diagnosis #7059

is this why its been so hard to get help here these things i describe.

eredy
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September 28, 2012 at 9:48 am

Post count: 7

in reply to: ABOUT BONE SPURS #7040

i to have what appears to be a spur as you mention . the symptoms are pain radiation from my back to my shoulders to mu arms down to my hands ,ive had nerve blocks and radio wave done .also went to physical therapy,went to a chiropractor had to mris and on meds still in some pain a 7 out of 10 i posted in this site in neck pain radiating to shoulder and arm topic, was wondering the place i went to for mri sent the basic film i saw this on this mri disc right away .the dr i went to only uses film mostly now ive have to bring the disc and show him this why couldn’t the radiologist in his report and in the film he sent have sent what im posting of the mri? https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/302252_10151935312835260_1429672666_n.jpg this is major pain and what can be done to help me and what is this in the picture ? thank you so much for any help or advise you can give me.

eredy
Member

September 27, 2012 at 8:24 pm

Post count: 7

in reply to: neck pain radiating to shoulder and arm #7033

i also have had two mri both say i have foramanol stenosis in my c6 and c7 vertebra and i get then pins needles in my hands also numbing ,the pain shoots from my shoulders to my hands my right is worse than the left but pain in both sides. i say the pain is a 7 out of a 10 in my hands and shoulder the rest, my arms is a 5 . ive had 3 nerve blocks and a radio wave block never stopped the pain ,im on tramdol 3 times a day only thing that helps nurotin 3 times a day still in pain thow,i went to a chiropractor even helped a little. had physical therapy to. that made me lose 20% movement in my neck when moved to the right a little less when moved to the left mri picture ill send . what can i do to get this took care of having big problems getting help .im a 37 yr old male ,https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/302252_10151935312835260_1429672666_n.jpg

eredy
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August 30, 2012 at 3:27 pm

Post count: 7

in reply to: ABOUT BONE SPURS #6869

hey ive got a picture off a mri i got this week can you tell me if a doctor can help me .https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/228459_10151896737040260_1006271591_n.jpg
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Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

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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eredy

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