My surgeon believes doing most of the repair/ replacement work by going through the front of the body in stead thof the back area saves much of the risk of nerve damage potential vs going in through the back it's self. Surgery takes longer but far better recovery vs cutting back muscles an all those neurves. He did a great job for me.
I had a slipped disc and a fusion at L5 in 1990. The disc was pinching a nerve going down my left leg. The only issue I have is standing on a hard surface for an extended time. The surgery was well worth it for me.
He's amazing. What I really liked about him is he's a straight shooter. He didn't candy coat it. He did my L5-S1, L4-L5 and the went through the front of my neck to replace a disc.
I know everyone heals and responds differently, but all 3 of mine have been good. I think alot of it has to do with the experience of the doctor and making good decisions based on what the doctor informs you of.
Thanks for all the replies.
Check out Robert Tibbs at Nuerosience in OKC. He did a laminectomy and fusion of L-4/L-5 and L-5/S-1 about 5 years ago and I haven’t had any problems since. I was lucky that the surgery didn’t require any hardware.
Ribs did my first wife’s surgery, she ended up passing away due to other complications. Not blaming him, but I think going to him would bring back bad feelings. I do believe he is a fine surgeon.
Dang! Sorry for stirring up bad memories. Wish you best of luck on finding the right surgeon.
Long story short, my wife has had two spinal surgeries to removed tumors that were in the spinal cavity in her neck. The first one was done by an Air Force surgeon (which wasn't the best, but as good as we could get in San Antonio) and the second was by "the go to" guy at Emory Hospital in Atlanta which was very invasive (tumor surrounded the spinal cord *inside* the dura). The surgery also involved rebuilding some vertebrae bone from her hip. She had seen 4 different surgeons and none would touch her with a 10 foot pole...but the guy at Emory didn't even flinch. Anyway, she is coming up on her yearly MRI/check-up and we asked the folks at Emory if they could make a recommendation for "the best" in OKC and two of the surgeons overwhelmingly recommended Neuroscience Specialists.
