by Philip
The first time I started experiencing pain and numbness in my right arm was probably seven or eight years ago. But over a period of time, those symptoms went away so I didn’t give the matter much thought. That was until the fall of 2002, when the symptoms returned and they were much more severe than before. There was nothing specific that I had done to bring on this condition; it just evolved.
At first, I went to a chiropractor who I knew for treatment. His therapies didn’t help improve the condition, and ultimately he recommended that I see Dr. Tsahakis at Total Spine Specialists.
By the time I met Dr. Tsahakis, things had really deteriorated dramatically. I had profound weakness in my arm, and Dr. Tsahakis advised that it was actually beginning to atrophy. After undergoing a series of tests, including a CAT scan and MRI, the condition was eventually diagnosed as two pinched nerves beside each other in my neck.
Dr. Tsahakis outlined several treatment options, but he focused primarily on explaining the procedure that he specializes in. He described the traditional surgical treatment that most physicians perform, which involves accessing the spine through the front of the neck and fusing two bones together with a bone graft and plate. Then, he described the advanced microendoscopic procedure that he performs. I had to agree that his recommendation sounded a whole lot better than the alternative. It was far less invasive and the recovery time would be minimal. I was sold.
I had the surgery on a Monday morning and the pain in my arm was relieved immediately after the surgery. It was amazing how much better I felt. The numbness improved over the next several days. The staff at Total Spine Specialists was great. They were always very responsive, and Dr. Tsahakis was especially so in communicating with my wife and me about my condition. To the degree you can describe dealing with a medical condition that required surgery as positive, I would say the procedure and the treatment I received from Total Spine Specialists was a very good experience and I would highly recommend them to anyone in need of spine care.
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