The genius who did my back was Dr. John Greenfield, a neurosurgeon, of the Orthopedic Group in Los Angeles. On San Vicente in BH. They do lots of pro's backs. The technology they have is cutting edge and they are sooo professional. 310.659.3400. Easy parking. If you go the fixing it forever route, be sure to talk to a few in the biz and go with the person you connect the most to. Who you feel most comfortable with. And takes your insurance. My op was like $350. On a monster bill.. And the more people you meet the more you'll know about backs. And the better decisions you can make. I look forward to the day when you're here where I am giving out advice to someone who is where you are now. Wish you the best. And Google everything!
Greenfield's a great doctor. I got my second opinion from him before I went through w/ my microdiscectomy.
I would love to get a 2nd opinion. I am knock kneed and have worn out my knees because of it. Would you be willing to give me the name and number of your PT? Thanks in advance!!!
Drop Foot I was doing additional research and stumbled across this particular issue. I have had this for years and never understood what caused it. It makes me wonder how long I have had the herniated disc.....Has anyone else had this particular symptom? From: http://www.crownvalleyspinalaid.com/How_does_it_work_.html ....If left untreated...and the nerve remains compressed...then muscle weakness in the leg can occur. Some people experience a "drop foot" in which they seem to be stubbing their toe a lot. This is due to nerve pressure resulting in weakness of the tibialis anterior muscle. If left untreated, permanent muscle damage can result. I've had people come into my office wearing a plastic cast on their foot. They ended up with an un-treated drop foot, and now have to wear that cast permanently...or their foot sort of flops when they walk...tragic. When someone is experiencing the muscle weakness, even if they can drug themselves up enough to bear the pain, it is vital they address the cause of the problem and get that nerve "uncrimped" (decompressed) or they will lose the muscle....
Here's my diagnosis (I finally found the OCR feature in Acrobat). FINDINGS: The LS-S1 disc shows marked loss of height with a central protrusion on the order of 4-5 mm with focal effacement of the thecal soc in the midline to a very mild degree. Questionably, there may be some impingement on the left S1 nerve root sleeve. The foramina appear to be widely patent. The articular facets show a small amount of fluid in the joints. Endplate degenerative changes are seen at L5-S1. IMPRESSION: 1. DEGENERATIVE DISC CHANGE AT L5-S1 WITH A CENTRAL PROTRUSION ON THE ORDER OF 4-5 MM WITH QUESTION OF EFFACEMENT OF THE LEFT S1 NERVE ROOT SLEEVE AT ITS ORIGIN, 2. SMALL AMOUNT OF FLUID IN THE L5-SI ARTICULAR FACETS, SUGGESTING ACTIVE ARTHROPATHY.
I can't quite remember the name of the specific nerve that was being impinged, but the impingement got to the point where I lost ~3/4 function of my lower leg and could no longer flex my big toe. It was tough to control my steps while walking down a hill or stairs. Funny, a cop down in Manhattan saw me stumbling down a hill and getting into my car. He drove by and asked if I had been drinking :lol:
I know we are supposed to talk this weekend, but would you mind posting what your diagnosis was and what you had done to remedy it????
Sorry to hear about your pain. I had L5-S1 surgery in 2005. I started with similar symptoms in the late 90's and took too long to address the issue. Now, because the nerve was compressed for so long (it will never fully decompress), I live with the same issues Trojan does ... I can't bend toes on my right foot and the area around my right big toe is painful and I still have the pins & needle sensations on my thighs. Don't wait too long. Good luck.
The diagnosis was a ruptured L4-L5 w/ L5 radiculpathy (compressed L5 nerve root). I also was diagnosed with a partial rupture of the L5-S1. However, it was very slight. I had my first painful episode in November 2005, which laid me out for a week. Was prescribed PT by my ortho. I went through PT for three months, and didn't have any issues. Between the time I ended PT, which was about mid March, and August, I had three other episodes which forced bed rest anywhere from a week to two. During this time, I noticed increasing weakness in my lower leg. In August, I finally decided it was best for me to plan on going under the knife. In early October, I had a microdiscectomy at St. Vincient near downtown LA. I was walking pain free about an hour after being transported back to my room and was released the following day. I started rehab about a month later (early Nov) and was mt biking by mid February. Haven't had any major problems since, and I've put my body through a ton of abuse. A few things I learned in the process. -See several doctors to get their opinions. -Do A LOT of research and be a pest w/ questions (do your due diligence and get opinions from physical therapists, other doctors). -People mean well w/ their suggestions, but don't always listen when they try to play doctor (I'd probably be paralyzed by now if I had). Everybody is different. -and if you do have to go under the knife, know that spine surgery has advanced tremendously over the recent past, making it less and less invasive. Like what some other posters had said, you can be out of surgery and the hospital in the same day now. Doctor wise, I'd highly recommend anybody w/ back problems to see Bob Watkins, now at Centinela, to at least get a consultation. I was actually referred to him by a pretty well know pro skateboarder who broke his neck several years back. Like what I said in a previous post, Greenfield in LA is also great, as is Bill Dillin at Kerlan Jobe. Hope this kind of helps some out a little bit.
I start Spinal Decompression treatment on Monday. No exercise for the next 3 weeks. Shooting to be back on the bike for Sea Otter.
agreed; another nod for Dillin. (still working with him) nancy - this is one of the dr's i sent in my pm. Hope things start improving
Uh-oh!! Nancy will never do this if rehab is the road bike!! :lol: Doesn't Amy Winehouse sing about that?? "I don't wanna ride a road bike I said a no no no.. they tried to get me on a road bike I said a no no no..."
That was the problem I was having Nancy. My whole left side would go numb and I would kinda drag my foot. So my whole left side got weak. Now that I am walking normal again it is causing my left side to get cramps. They got so bad the other day I was laying on the ground for a half hour and literally could not get up. I layed in the back yard in an involuntary fetal position, trying to figure out how I could get to the phone to call my ex ( 2 blocks away) for help. This was the day after I had Morphine shots for the same thing. I wish you the best in recovery. I will be doing the same thing as you.
Dr. Richard Kim is the best, he is at Hoag Hospitol and if you PM me i can give you his contact info. He operated on Jason Britton, both neck and back.
