Spyro — New Port Beach, CA
It's been almost three years since my surgery. What led up to the back surgery was a great deal of lower back pain, which was a sciatic problem extending down to my leg. I played football in college so it was something that probably stemmed from there. I tried everything, short of surgery, to get better. I saw numerous chiropractors, massage therapists and physical therapists, but nothing worked. I did not want to have surgery because I thought the recovery time was four to six months before I would be able to be back doing the normal things. I had rather be doing the things with discomfort than not doing them at all.
So by the time someone recommended that I see Dr. Sylvain Palmer, I had gone to numerous doctors. Dr. Palmer examined me and determined that I had approximately an eight to nine millimeter herniation between L4 and L5. He told me that certain things could not be helped, that there are certain things that you just have to do. I was told by other people that had gone to him that he was a specialist and had the ability to often get people back to the normal routine quickly. So I felt very comfortable. He recommended that I have surgery to remove the disc and I scheduled an appointment.
The day of the surgery I went in about nine o'clock in the morning and the surgery was performed at approximately one o'clock and I was out of surgery at approximately three-thirty and out of recovery and going home at six p.m. I had very little discomfort that evening. I was sitting up, eating and walking. That night was the only night that I took some pain pills. The next morning, Tuesday, I was up and walking. I continued a somewhat normal routine on a daily basis. Wednesday, I went back to work on a limited basis. I actually drove my wife to the airport Friday evening. The following week I started a work out program that entailed walking on the treadmill and from there, very light lifting. In three months, I was playing golf and had absolute zero remnants of the pain that I had prior to the surgery.
Within six months, I was in a very intense workout program that entailed four to five hours of actual running per week, five days a week of lifting, aerobic class, and basketball. By that time, anything that I was doing prior to surgery and even prior to the discomfort, I was doing it and doing it better.
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As you read this please keep in mind that all treatment and outcome results are specific to the individual patient. Results may vary. Complications, such as infection, blood loss, or nerve damage are some of the potential adverse risks of spinal surgery. Please consult your physician for a complete list of indications, warnings, precautions, adverse events, clinical results, and other important medical information.
