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We value our patients kind words and thoughts.

Don S.

posted on: 7/17/2008 The owner of a welding shop, Don says he’s “a mechanical type of guy.” So it only made sense for him to seek a way to fix mechanically the sometimes-paralyzing back pain caused by his degenerative disc disease. He asked a friend who was a surgical nurse for a recommendation, and Dr. Burt Schell’s name came up immediately. The solution Dr. Schell recommended was a surgical procedure called transforminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). Dr. Schell removed Don’s degenerated disc from between two vertebrae and then fused the vertebrae together, using a bone graft, a cage device, pedicle screws and rods. The bone graft material and cage device serve as a scaffold for new bone growth while helping to achieve normal height between the vertebrae and taking pressure off the nerve roots. The screws and rods stabilize the spine while the treated area heals. Six weeks after the TLIF procedure, Don, 50, says he feels no pain. “I took a week off after the surgery, but by the end of the week I was doing paperwork and taking calls,” he says, adding that he has been exercising three times a week. “I was expecting the recovery time to be a lot worse than it is. I’m really happy with the results. They did a great job.”

Mary L.

posted on: 7/17/2008 Mary tried chiropractic, physical therapy, aquatherapy and swimming, and epidural injections, but nothing helped her back pain. She could not stand or walk for more than 5 or 10 minutes at a time. Now, just three months after surgery, she can be on her feet for up to an hour with no pain, thanks to a successful lumbar laminectomy with spinal fusion performed by IBJI’s Dr. Stanford Tack. Mary was especially impressed with Dr. Tack’s listening, compassion and people skills. “On Super Bowl Sunday, he came to my hospital room two or three times just to see how things were going,” she recalls. Mary is looking forward to visiting a zoo, going to flea markets, shopping at a mall and just going for a walk – activities she hasn’t enjoyed since before having back pain problems.

Ronald W.

posted on: 7/17/2008 After pain medications and epidural injections failed to provide a lasting solution for back pain caused by spinal stenosis, Ronald C. Walters chose to have IBJI’s Dr. Stanford Tack perform a lumbar laminectomy with spinal fusion. When he awoke after surgery, Walters remembers immediately noticing that the pain was gone. “It was like somebody turned a switch”he recalls. A few weeks later, he was walking without a walker. (“People couldn’t believe it,” that he was walking so well so soon,) says Walters, who was 73 at the time of the surgery. “Walking was excruciatingly painful . . . it was terrible,” he says. “Now, my back is pain-free.”

Madeline Q.

posted on: 11/8/2007 My first day of college, I tore my ACL & meniscus. Dr. Charms performed surgery and gave me hope to play basketball again. Now I'm back in the game!

Jack R.

posted on: 11/8/2007 I recently had my hip replaced by Dr. Tack. Dr. Tack made me feel so comfertable. I was in so much pain before surgery. My hip had been hurting me for years. Now I feel rejuvenated! I build houses for a living so I really needed my mobility back. I now feel young again. Thanks Dr. Tack.

T. Patterson

posted on: 1/26/2007

The physicians at IBJI made me feel comfortable from day one with their professionalism and compassion for my surgery. I know I made the right decision in choosing a doctor.

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Copyright, reprints and permission to use material from this Web site is strictly prohibited.
© 2007 Illinois Bone and Joint Institute, LLC a division of IBJI.com

Copyright, reprints and permission to use material from this Web site is strictly prohibited. © 2007 Illinois Bone and Joint Institute, LLC a division of IBJI.com

Copyright, reprints and permission to use material from this Web site is strictly prohibited.
© 2007 Illinois Bone and Joint Institute, LLC a division of IBJI.com