Donald Corenman MD DC | Spine Surgeon Colorado

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marta77
Participant

June 4, 2016 at 6:41 am

Post count: 18

in reply to: Open posterior c6c7 discectomy/laminectomy and foraminotomy #22308

Thank you I will contact your manager and will gather all reports and FedEx them. Also is it possible to schedule consultation on weekend like Saturday? I work 10-13 hrs a day and also I would like my husband to be present during conversation because he speaks fluent english

marta77
Participant

June 4, 2016 at 5:21 am

Post count: 18

in reply to: Open posterior c6c7 discectomy/laminectomy and foraminotomy #22302

Thank you for your response. I definitely would be interested in phone consultation. Could you tell me what is the fee? Also except of report from last mri which I don’t have (only discs) but I will get them for you. I am not clear what else should I provide before our phone consultation? And are going to need films as well ? If yes since you do not open links how do I deliver them to you?
Thank you

marta77
Participant

May 31, 2016 at 7:43 pm

Post count: 18

in reply to: Open posterior c6c7 discectomy/laminectomy and foraminotomy #22286

Hi Dr. Corenman, in case you were unable to open the zip containing mri scans im attaching few screenshots. Please let me know if i should post more. thank you

mri screnshots

marta77
Participant

May 11, 2016 at 12:40 pm

Post count: 18

in reply to: Open posterior c6c7 discectomy/laminectomy and foraminotomy #22161

Hi Dr. Corenman,

I finally got my Mri done today. I value your opinion and i would really appreciate if you could take a look at them. And i have few questions:
1. “Weird” sensation on left side of my stomach and left side of genitals never went away. I described it in detail in previous post. Do you think it is related to my neck?
2. Do i need surgery? If yes do you recommend acdf or disc replacement considering my bulging c5c6.
3. Since you are able to review my mri what next step would you recommend?

this is dropbox link. In there are all of my recent mri. “MRI Dec 2015” is one from right before my surgery, Mri may 2016 is from today.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sbp4qx1lykfhocm/AACL_BII8pmzqQUeX_k-aumwa?dl=0

Thank you so much
Marta

marta77
Participant

April 13, 2016 at 10:07 am

Post count: 18

in reply to: Open posterior c6c7 discectomy/laminectomy and foraminotomy #21961

Thaaaaank you Dr. Corenman,
I will look for neurologist. I had blood done a month ago with perfect results so calcium or potassium deficit is not a option. My symptoms swing from left side to right y?

marta77
Participant

April 12, 2016 at 8:35 am

Post count: 18

in reply to: Open posterior c6c7 discectomy/laminectomy and foraminotomy #21950

Good Morning Dr. Corenman,
I hope you are doing great.
I just wanted to let you know that I went to see my NS and i finally got referral for MRI. Now I am waiting for my insurance company authorization. I will send you my MRI results as soon as possible. In mid time I reaaaaaly need your opinion on something because I am freaking out.
Past 3 days I am experiencing veeery strong spasm on my face but on right side only. It is so strong that it makes my face looks weird . Kind of like I would be smiling only with right side of my lips or I am eating something sour. My cheek is twitching so strong that this is visible outside. kind of like I would be blinking with my right eye on someone.
Also I have this tingling sensation in my right side of face eye and ear. My left hand is little stronger but right one is getting very weak and now I have very strong spasm on my right side of neck. When spasm comes then all above happens to my face my right hand gets weak. Symptoms which I described earlier ( 2 weeks ago) in my left side of stomach and left side wall of my private parts are present all the time no matter what. Only change is everything switched to my right hand and took over face on the right and right ear and behind right ear. This stage comes and goes but it happens on regular basis.
I told all that to my NS last Wednesday – he said – ” Marta you are very weird patient and one of the milion”
Dr. Corenman – please give me your thoughts ????? Please.Whatever is on top of your head when you read that. I am freaking out! And even more when my NS says i am one in the milion !!! I am only 38 I dont want to end up w permanent damage because my NS has no clue. Please give me some thoughts on this while I am waiting for MRI authorization , it might take a while before my insurance will respond to my MRI request.
THaaank you
Have a wonderful day
Marta
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Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 16 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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marta77

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