Case Summary  |  Back and Neck Problems

One summer a plastic lawn chair broke while sitting on it and I went down landing on my rear end and hitting my elbow. The elbow hurt for a few days then I thought I was fine. Two weeks later while trying to get up for work in the morning, I discovered I could not pick my head up off the pillow, let alone turn it left or right. I was taken to the E.R. and it was found that I herniated the discs in my neck. I had to have surgery which they went in through the front of my neck and removed two of my discs, put a titatitum plate with 4 screws into it. The surery was done within 3 months of my fall. I did not realize it but it also affected my back as well and that went on for about 2 1/2 yrs before they had to do surgery on my back. It turns out that I herinated 2 discs in my back as well and I tried several different things first such as phyiscal therapy, pain meds, cortisone shots, and it got to the point where I was dragging my right leg and I knew I had to have the surgery. They removed two of my discs in the lower lumbar area, and inserted a plate there as well as 4 screws to hold it. A year and half after surgery, I am still in pain and a new MRI reveals 3 new herinated discs (2 above the plate and 1 below). I have been told there is a chance I will need another surgery which I am going to really try to avoid having done being I still have pain from the first and it is very expensive.