I began having major pain in my right shoulder blade area while traveling in the fall of 2016. Once home, I saw my primary care physician who immediately ordered x-rays that revealed severe arthritis of the right side of my neck. Planning to manage arthritis for the rest of my life and refusing to use pain medications, I started physical therapy and began a regime of neck and shoulder exercises to keep my neck loosened up. The pain was manageable and life continued.
In early 2018, however, I began having numbness in my hands and asked my primary care physician for a referral to an orthopedic specialist. She referred me to OSC. I selected Dr. Jeffrey Carlson from website reviews. From the first appointment on March 27, 2018, I felt like I was in great hands. From the new x-rays taken at the time of my first appointment, an MRI was scheduled for the next week and I met with Dr. Carlson for the result the following week.
The MRI revealed severe cervical stenosis, with serious deterioration of levels C3, 4, 5, and 6. That wobbly feeling in my neck was exactly that. The physical therapy and neck exercises I had been doing were not only not helping, but were perhaps putting me at risk for paralysis. It was an immediate, easy decision to have cervical spine surgery.
Since the surgery (following the inevitable few weeks of recovery), I have been pain-free and have full range of motion of my neck. An amazing transition from believing I would have to live with pain and loss of motion in my neck forever, to being pain free and flexible. Throughout, Dr. Carlson and the staff of OSC were fantastic. OSC is run with impeccable, caring efficiency. A lifetime of thanks to Dr. Carlson and the entire staff! (P.S. Since my surgery, I have talked with several people who also had amazing life-changing results under Dr. Carlson’s care!)
Donna Leslie