Donald Corenman MD DC | Spine Surgeon Colorado

Forum Replies Created

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 9 total)

1 2 Next

Author

Posts
Micronick
Participant

January 6, 2017 at 4:33 am

Post count: 11

in reply to: Scar Tissue #24055

Hi Dr Corenman

Did you see my questions above?

Many thanks

Micronick
Participant

December 26, 2016 at 9:30 am

Post count: 11

in reply to: Scar Tissue #24030

Hi Dr Corenman

I had the revision operation 12 days ago and am recovering. The surgeon said the l5 nerve was squashed between the disc and scar tissue. He removed the scar and cleaned the disc up. The op notes states he used Adcon l gel to prevent the scar reforming.

I still have burning pain in my right foot and ankle, including numbness. However the surgeon explained the nerve needs time to recover.

Have been doing waking and leg exercises. Any tips on stopping further scar tissue forming.

Does the gel impact nerve root movement and inflammation?

Many thanks

Nick

Micronick
Participant

December 3, 2016 at 9:19 am

Post count: 11

in reply to: Scar Tissue #23506

Hi

I am scheduled for a revision microdiscectomy in a couple of weeks. One question is after the surgery and a night in Hospital I will travel back home by either train (2hrs) or car (4hours). Do you have any recommendations re this travel?

Many thanks

Micronick
Participant

November 22, 2016 at 8:59 am

Post count: 11

in reply to: Scar Tissue #23472

Many thanks for your reply Dr Corenman

Given the MRI results would an endoscopic type surgery be beneficial as min evasive?

Do you use a gel or substance to help revent scar tissue impacting the nerve after the surgery?

I presume early mobility post surgery would help prevent the nerve being tethered by further scar tissue?

Thanks in advance

Micronick
Participant

November 11, 2016 at 2:21 am

Post count: 11

in reply to: Scar Tissue #23401

Hi Dr Corenman

I have had another MRI with the following results with reference to my two bottom discs:

L4/L5: Previous discectomy and right-sided hemilaminectomy. Findings to suggest subtle disc bulging and a
small central to right subarticular disc protrusion, The suspected small right dominant disc protrusion is contacting but not definitely compressing the traversing right L5 nerve root. Mild left lateral recess narrowing, without nerve root compression. T2w Signal
increase within the posterior aspect of the annulus fibrosus is thought to be a postsurgical finding. Mild
bilateral facet joint degeneration. Disc height loss. Subtle left sided facet joint effusion. Mild, probably slightly
oedematous changes along the surgical pathway within the posterior soft tissue. No circumscribed fluid
collections are noted.
L5/Sl: No relevant disc hernia or disc protrusion. A small right extraforaminal annular fissure is noted. Mild
degenerative changes of the facet joints and probably congenital mild asymmetry of the joints. Mild
narrowing of the bilateral recesses, without nerve root compression. Disc height loss and disc dehydration.

CONCLUSION
Moderate disc degeneration at L4-L5 and at L5-Sl. Evidence of previous L4-L5 diskectomy with findings to suggest mild, DO. resioual, DO. recurrent disc
bulging and a small right dominant disc protrusion, contacting but not definitely compressing the traversing
right L5 nerve root.

Your opinion would be very welcome

Micronick
Participant

November 4, 2016 at 7:25 am

Post count: 11

in reply to: Scar Tissue #23358

Thank you Dr Corenman

Whats odds % would you give on the neurolysis or fusion procedures being succesfull?

Can scar tissue cause such lower back pain? I also seem to be developing pain upon flexion in my other (good) leg.

Any help would be great.
Author

Posts

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 9 total)

1 2 Next

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.

Submit your review
First Name, Last Initial:
Email:
Review Title:
Rating:	1 2 3 4 5
Review:

Check this box to confirm you are human.
Submit Cancel

Micronick

Forum Replies Created