Yvonne's story was featured in last month's issue of our monthly newsletter, The Spinal Column. Having led an active lifestyle, prior to debilitating back and neck pain, this story resonated with me, as I'm sure it will with many of you.  Regaining the ability to do the things you love, whether it is walking to the park or on the beach, playing your favorite sport, dancing with your spouse, or holding a child or grandchild, is truly liberating. If you are experiencing back or neck pain, I hope that you find these stories encouraging and know that you're not alone. Enjoy!


As a result of an  accident in 2006, Yvonne Renaud sustained thoracic [mid-back] injuries, which took a toll on her life. "I never ever understood or had much sympathy for people who complained about back pain...until I had an auto accident and started to walk in their shoes.  Before I decided on spine surgery at LSI, I talked to past patients.  Unfortunately, they had cervical or lumbar surgery, but I figured if they had good results, I was confident I would.  A particular patient I spoke to had severe lumbar problems, had been taken to LSI in a wheelchair and he walked out the day of surgery.  That was 4 years ago; he is walking and pain free today.  The best part of your surgery is you don't do fusion.  If patients only knew the choices they had besides fusion, more informed decisions would be made, without having to have additional fusion above and below the original fusions within a few years."  

Eight months after surgery at LSI, Yvonne, 64, contacted her LSI family to report her outstanding outcome and new adventures.

June 8, 2009

Hello.  My name is Yvonne Renaud and I had thoracic surgery November 20, 2008 with Dr. Wolff at your institute in Florida.  He performed surgery for bulging discs with better than excellent results.  They promised me 70-75% decrease in my pain.  In 4 weeks, I attained that level and between 6-8 weeks the results went close to 90% improvement.  As long as I "follow the rules" as set by my physiotherapist, Irene, I am basically pain free.  If I skip the spinal exercises or rest periods, I have a small amount of pain usually by evening, but even that is well controlled with a couple Extra Strength Tylenol.  This surgery has been a wonderful experience and has restored a quality of life I thought was impossible after my vehicle accident.  Please consider me to be in LSI's Patient Spotlight.  I know that the thoracic surgery is relatively rare, and I have had excellent results.  I would love to talk to others who are considering this surgery!

June 30, 2009

To bring you up to date, we are on vacation, having left PA last Saturday.  We are 300 miles from our intended destination of Tulsa, OK, where we should arrive tomorrow.  This is a distance of about 1,300 miles one way.  Saturday, we will slowly start back home, arriving home the weekend of July 11-12th;  a total distance of at least 2,600 miles, all by motorcycle, and yes, I am driving my orange trike the whole way.  My back is wonderful!




July 12, 2009
 
P.S.  We returned from our 2 week motorcycle trip, from PA to Tulsa, OK; home by way of Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, West Virginia, motorcycling over 3,300 safe and delightful miles with me driving my beloved "Pumpkin Gold Wing" motorcycle.  It was GREAT!!!!!  A dream I never thought 2 ½ years ago I could ever do again!  Thanks to the Laser Spine Institute, and Dr. Wolff...it has become reality!
 

July 13, 2009

Irene, the physiotherapist who worked with me after my surgery, told me about using a small pillow low down on my back for the correct support and no matter where I go, I use one faithfully.  If I don't, ouchies!  If I don't maintain good posture, my back tells me...ouchies.  If I do it right...no ouchies!!!  So once I started to get back into motorcycling and long distant driving at times, I tried many different custom (and expensive seats), as well as back rests.  I found just one that works wonders for me.  It is adjusted as far forward as it will go, and I can ride my Gold Wing trike 4-5 hours without back pain.


August 17, 2009

Ok, here is the picture of me in West Virginia "shooting the rapids", class 5 rapids, which are pretty darn nasty looking, huh?  But boy oh boy what a LOT of fun they were!  I am trying to talk my hubby into taking me back there the first part of September.  I want to do the intermediate rapids, 6 hours on the river for my 64th birthday.  Am I crazy or what?

Click here to subscribe to The Spinal Column.

 
 

On Tuesday, September 1st, Dr. Michael Weiss, Chief Spine Surgeon at Laser Spine Institute Scottsdale, completed the 1,000th surgery. No other spine surgery center in world has completed 1,000 minimally invasive endoscopic  spine surgeries in less than 8 months, and more importantly, with an 88% success rate and a 91% patient satisfaction rate. In addition, 99% of the patients surveyed reported that they would recommend LSI to a family or friend.


To say that I am proud of the LSI Scottsdale staff would be an understatement. Drs. Weiss, Flood  Luke, and staff have exceeded my expectations regarding surgical outcomes, service, and compassion. If you are among the 1,000 patients who have had surgery at LSI Scottsdale, welcome to our family! I hope we have helped you to get your life back and that you have rediscovered the things you missed and loved. Please feel free to share your experience by commenting on this post.

As promised, I am sharing photos of our new consult facility in The Villages, FL. Also, I am delighted to announce that within a few weeks, Laser Spine Institute consult facilities will be opened in Beverly Hills, CA and Fort Lauderdale, FL. Click here to schedule a consultation and find out if you are a candidate for our procedures.

Watch Your Step: Footwear and Lower Back Pain

Certain types of footwear have the potential to cause discomfort or intensify existing back pain. Therefore, you should be extremely careful when making shoe selections and ensure that your choices are conducive to a healthy spine.  Below, you will find an outline of important features of back-friendly footwear, including sole, support, and heel height, as well as situational factors, such as occasion and  specific activities.



Sole
Your shoes should provide - support, shock absorbency and durability. The discs in your spine allow for movement and provide a cushion to the spinal joints. Therefore, a good sole to your shoes preserve and compliment this cushion. This prevents strain and pain to your spinal ligaments and provides improved stamina and energy in your daily activities.

Support
Properly fitting shoes with arch supports help to evenly distribute your weight over the entire foot and prevents overuse one side of your body. In addition, 25% of the bones in the body are located in the foot and if they are not well supported, you accommodate these strains in the back and limbs, in order to continue moving. The correctly fitting shoe can immediately redirect your posture and gait into normal healthy patterns.

Style
High heels and uncomfortable shoes result in poor posture and altered gait patterns to accommodate the change in your center of gravity, which places abnormal stresses and strains on your spine. Choose shoes with anatomically correct, removable foot beds that offer good support, shock-absorbing heels, rubber compound shoes and roomy toe boxes. Remember, painful, cramped feet are reflected in your body posture and movement.

Occasion
Shoes should be chosen based upon specific activities. Certain types of shoes are more suitable for casual walking, running, hiking, etc. Therefore, you should select shoes that are designed for specific activities. Finally, change your shoes frequently to avoid loading your spine and joints in the same patterns.

Exercise and professions, such as chefs, nurses, teachers, doctors, require standing or walking for extending periods of time. In fact, the average person takes 5,000 to 8,000 steps daily, which adds up to about 100,000.00 miles over a lifetime.  Spending long periods of time standing adds stress on your feet, ankles, knees, hips and back. Since these activities are a part of daily living, it is necessary to take proper steps to mitigate damaging effects.

Click here to subscribe to LSI's monthly newsletter.

The events of September 11, 2001 can be accurately described as a senseless tragedy. Undoubtedly, they have altered our way of life and will perhaps be etched in our minds forever. However, our response to this tragedy, like others in our nation's history, demonstrates our resilience and uncompromising ability to triumph over tragedy.  So, today, I urge you to continue to celebrate the lives of the victims who died innocently and remember the bravery of the heroes and heroines who risked or sacrificed their lives in search and rescue efforts following the horrific terrorist attacks. One way in which we can honor these men and women is by supporting the families they have left behind. Several funds have been established, including the Twin Towers Orphan Fund and the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund. To learn about these organizations or to contribute, click on the links below.

Twin Towers Orphan Fund
Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund

Last Monday, August 31st, Laser Spine Institute opened a new consult facility in the Villages, just north of Leesburg, FL.  The Villages is an active adult community, filled with people rediscovering life. And, LSI wants to help each person suffering from back or neck pain to get their life back.

Over 130 former LSI patients currently live in The Villages, so in our effort to meet the growing demand for minimally invasive spine surgery and provide greater convenience, we decided to take the consult facility closer.  Instead of driving to Tampa, patients can literally drive to the consult facility in their golf carts and find out if they are candidates for our procedures. LSI has always focused on service and this is one more step in taking our service to the next level.

In the next few weeks, I will be uploading photos of the new facility. Click here to read our newsletter article on Laser Spine Institute, The Villages.

During a recent conversation, I was asked, "What motivates you to come to work?" I thought that I would share my answers with you and also encourage you to think about this question and share your answers.

Love
I am motivated to come to work because I truly love what I do. I love building companies, helping patients and families get their lives back. An unexplainable sense of pride and accomplishment comes over me whenever patients tell me that LSI is the best medical facility they have ever visited. I addition to providing outstanding service to our patients, I have a strong passion for mentoring young employees and helping them to define and achieve their goals.

Fear
The thought of disappointing our patients and employees evokes a strong sense of fear. I am fully aware of the importance of the work we do and its impact on others. For those reasons, I instill and uphold the principle that each and every staff member is dedicated to nothing but the best. I promote the understanding that while we have the esteemed position as the leaders in minimally invasive endoscopic spine surgery, our status is contingent upon our surgical outcomes and patient satisfaction.
 
Responsibility
I am also motivated by an overwhelming sense of responsibility. Our employees and patients rely on my guidance and leadership. It is my duty to create and maintain the necessary conditions for my staff to achieve success, as well as to ensure patient satisfaction. The fear of disappointing reinforces this sense of responsibility, but my confidence in our proven abilities are extremely reassuring.
 
Self-Worth
Everyone loves to be needed and I am no different. It is very fulfilling to have people who believe in me, find value in my work, and trust me to help them in achieving their goals.
 
Work Ethic
My dad was a great man of modest means, who came from a generation that upheld the principle, "hard work leads to success." He is no longer here to guide me, but the principles he instilled continue to influence my decisions.  I always feel his presence, especially when I am facing difficult decisions.

Giving Back
Last, but by no means least, I am motivated by my duty to give back. LSI gave me my life back, so why wouldn't I want the same for others? I consider myself the luckiest man alive because many people have done a lot for me. I am extremely fortunate and grateful to have so many angels on my shoulder, and as such, I must reciprocate.