Donald Corenman MD DC | Spine Surgeon Colorado

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michael
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December 16, 2013 at 3:06 am

Post count: 7

in reply to: 8 months post microdiscectomy, I still have sciatica #9953

Dr. Corenman,

I saw 5 different surgeons about my back issues once they began in early 2011. All of them wanted to do conservative therapy which I can appreciate. This included PT, home excerise, and 3 rounds of steroid injections. None of those treatments helped me at all. However, due to the nature of my job (airline pilot) I have to be able to sit in order to perform my job, I continued to stress to them that if there was something we could do to help, we needed to do that. Most didn’t seem to really understand that I need to be able to sit. So the doctor that did my microdisectomy didn’t do any “work up” on where the pain was coming from, he just went off of my history of conservative therapy and symptoms and suggested the microdiscectomy. I was desperate and allowed him to do the surgery.

I got a some relief of some of the symptoms from that surgery, but not much. I am NOT worse than I was before surgery. That’s good! However, I will try to explain as best as possible my symptoms and intensity and such for you:

The back pain that I have is very low and it’s intensity can be just as unbearable as the sciatica at times. A lot of times it depends on the type of chair I’m sitting on. For example, if I go to a high school football game and sit on the bleachers, I am absolutely miserable with back and sciatic pain (mostly with the left leg). I have to repeatedly stand and walk around to get relief in a matter of 10 minutes. If I am driving my Ford F150 platinum truck, the seats are very comfortable and I can last a good 1.5-2 hours…however I will still have some pain, but it’s bearable until about the 2 hour mark then I need to get out and walk around. The pilots’ seats in the 737 are not comfortable at all and I can last about an hour before I have to stand to get relief, hence why I am not working. I have noted that I have some pain in the right lower leg and foot and that was always present even before surgery.

Once again, standing and lying down give me almost complete relief. Every night I go to bed I have almost zero pain in the back or sciatic nerve(s) once I’m lying down. It’s the sitting that does it for me. I had a repeat MRI at that end of July.

I mentioned earlier that I have seen 5 surgeons hoping to solve this issue. I have received 5 different answers from each one which is not very comforting. One said I had spondylolisthesis at L5/S1 (all the other surgeons said no I didn’t). Another said I’d need a two level TLIF from L4-S1 as those two discs are very degenerative and have lost height thus causing the foramans to close down on the nerve root exiting. Another said an ALIF for L5/S1 but said a 2 level fusion would be “too much surgery” for me. My last surgeon recommended the microdiscectomy as he said the L4/L5 disc had a small central bulge (which was true I saw it on the MRI). I went with him as I was desperate for something to help me get better. None of the doctors did any work up on where the pain was coming from. No discograms or anything. They just all went off my symptoms.

As you can see I am getting so many mixed answers. What’s a person like me, who isn’t a surgeon, to do with all those mixed answers??? One thing is for certain, my livelihood and career are basically over unless there is a real solution. You seem to much more methodical with your knowledge than anyone else, hence why I am seeking your opinion. I will gladly pay you to review my MRI and give me your professional opinion on how you would approach treating me.

Thank you again.

michael
Member

May 13, 2012 at 8:09 am

Post count: 7

in reply to: TLIF? #6192

Dr. Corenman,

The percentage of back to leg pain varies. It’s usually more leg pain than back pain. I’d say 70% leg to 30% back pain. And lying down or standing/walking always relieves most of it. If I’m bent over working on my classic cars the back pain gets pretty bad as well. I don’t really work on my cars anymore because of it.

The leg pain is almost always in my feet first (burning, tingling, stinging sensations…like the sensation you get in your arm/hand when a blood pressure cuff is inflated). After sitting for a bit I will start to get mostly aching type pains in my outer/back thighs, side and back of buttocks. Mostly in the left leg, but some in the right as well. (some of these sensations are like hot/cold feelings)

My back pain is usually centralized right in the middle where the L5/S1 disc would be. I know this because of where the needle tracks are from my steroid shots. Can a TLIF be utilized for a two level fusion? And what is the procedure for the nerve entrapment you mentioned?

I’m more than willing to travel to see you as you have explained more than any other doctor I have seen. I forgot to mention that I’m 39 years old. Go get those your last ten hours of flight time and get your pilots certificate! I learned up in the mountains of Colorado in Rangely. Mountain flying experience is invaluable.

Michael

michael
Member

May 29, 2011 at 12:31 am

Post count: 7

in reply to: bulging disc #4605

I should also mention that when I sit, the symptoms are very light in intensity and then gradually increase the longer I sit. They will almost go completely away if I stand up and walk around. I can also sit in one chair and have very light symptoms and get up, move to another chair and have much worse symptoms. Some chairs are great, others are not! So it’s constantly changing all day.

The bulge at L4/L5 is also centrally located.
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Viewing 3 posts - 1 through 3 (of 3 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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michael

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