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pec5002
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June 27, 2019 at 2:02 pm

Post count: 33

in reply to: PT Causes more pain #30635

I transcribed the whole MRI for you from earlier this june (well after i started feeling worsening pain) this was ordered becuase I was in more pain

MRI Lumbar Spine with and without contrast

6/4/2019

History: 33 year old male, 2 prior lumbar spine surgeries, pain radiating down both legs

Comparison: 6/19/18 – MRI with and without IV Contrast

Findings:

There is a straightening of the normal lumbar lordosis. There is no compression fracture or acute marrow edema

There is a subtle grade 1, 3mm retrolisthesis of L2 L5 on S1
The conatus terminates at the l1-2 disc space level

There is a desiccation of the L5-S1 disc with mild to moderate narrowing of the disc space

Contrast enhanced images demonstrate no abnormal enhancement of the conus or nerve roots within thecal sac

Visualized portions of the kidneys are symmetrical. The psoas and pasaspinal muscle are also symmetrical

T2-L1: Normal disc, no focal disc herniation normal facet joints
L1-L2: Normal disc, no focal disc herniation normal facet joints
L2-L3: Normal disc, no focal disc herniation normal facet joints
L3-L4: Normal disc, no focal disc herniation normal facet joints
L4-L5: Normal disc, no focal disc herniation normal facet joints
L5-S1: Left L5 hemilanitomy defect. Nonenhancing residual and or recurrent central/left lateral recess disc herniation resulting in stable mild to moderate central and left lateral recess stenosis when compares with postoperating MRI from 6/19/18. Stable appearance of enhancing granulation tissue with the epidural space. Mild stable facet arthrosis

Impression:

1) As compared to prior 6/19/2018 MRI lumbar spine with and without IV contrast no significant interval change
2) Stable appearance of nonenhancing residual or recurrent central left lateral recess L5-S1 disc herniation resulting in stable mild to moderate stenosis
3) No new disc herniation or worsening stenosis
4) Subtle grade 1, 3mm rerolisthesis of L5 on S1

pec5002
Participant

June 27, 2019 at 1:30 pm

Post count: 33

in reply to: PT Causes more pain #30634

So the MRI results I put there was from 3 weeks ago, ive had this pain for about a year now on and off when I try PT. I thought there was something new going on but the MRI basically said there were no changes. That’s what is confusing, I am trying to avoid a fusion.

As a second part of the question, one Dr I spoke to told me he would do an artificial disk at L5/S1 but a different doctor told me that if anyone ever recommends an artificial disc I should run away from the office.

pec5002
Participant

June 26, 2019 at 7:53 am

Post count: 33

in reply to: PT Causes more pain #30621

I agree, pain is mostly on buttocks and down the legs, I actually have no back pain at all. When stretching and shortly thereafter the pain actually goes away, but a few hours later it comes back from worse and stays there. It is tricky because I need to work my muscles but everything bothers it. I also am 33 and dont want a fusion

pec5002
Participant

June 3, 2018 at 10:31 pm

Post count: 33

in reply to: 3rd Micro D, Fusion, Replacement Disk or Other… #28461

Thanks Dr I appreciate your help here I can’t even put into words how helpful you are and I will be calling your line.

So at the age of 31- would you recommend s fusion now over waiting as I am in some pain which is limiting my life due to the fact that the other discs will have trouble regardless? Or is it better to wait until I get older and see what happens and possibly this will fix itself?

pec5002
Participant

June 2, 2018 at 10:06 am

Post count: 33

in reply to: 3rd Micro D, Fusion, Replacement Disk or Other… #28433

Thanks Dr. If this is severely limiting my life and I have very healthy discs above, if I do the fusion how much greater strain will I put on the rest of the back. One surgeon said there a 10% chance I will re herniate another disc and the other said there is a 25% chance I will not only not herniate but do it in the first 5 years.

I am thinking about coming out to you all as well.
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Viewing 5 posts - 25 through 29 (of 29 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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pec5002

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