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Patient Success Story - Spine
Local marine back to active duty
 Click here to hear David talk about his experience at Atlantic Orthopedics with Dr. Mark Rodger.
After months of severe pain, cervical artificial disc surgery helps
local marine quickly recover and return to action
David’s strengthening exercises, including
pull ups, push ups and sit ups, were put to
the test one January morning in 2008. While
doing pull ups he experienced sharp pain
in his lower back. When the pain did not go
away, he went to the emergency room and was
prescribed muscle
relaxers for a pulled
muscle. But David’s
symptoms worsened
and he was having
difficulty sleeping at
night.
He went to the
doctor on his military-base and was sent
for chiropractic
treatment. While the
chiropractic adjustments provided some relief,
the pain would ultimately return. Diagnostic
exams including x-rays and an MRI were
ordered for David. The results showed that
he had a pinched nerve. He was referred
to a local neurosurgeon where he received
conservative care such as pain medicine and
injection therapy for about two months. While
the injections gave him temporary relief, the
severe pain recurred and David could no
longer perform his normal activities.
Click here or select the image to the left to download a PDF with David's complete story.
He was then referred to fellowship-trained
spine surgeon, Dr. Mark Rodger at Atlantic
Orthopedics. Dr. Rodger explained that
David was suffering from a herniated disc in his neck at C6-7. This was accompanied by
adjacent level disc degeneration above and
below the herniated disc space. In addition
he had weakness into an arm that needed to
be addressed quickly to prevent the symptom
from becoming permanent. One of the
treatment options for this condition
was the artificial disc - an FDA
approved mechanical implant
that is designed to replicate the
function of the natural disc. If left
untreated, the condition David
was suffering from can lead to
further neurological abnormalities
and pain.
After exploring all of the
treatment options presented to him
and obtaining Tricare approval
for the artificial disc replacement surgery,
David decided to move forward with the
procedure. Dr. Rodger performed the cervical
artificial disc surgery. After surgery, David’s
pain was gone immediately. He was back to
walking and out of his neck brace within two
weeks. With the aid of physical therapy atAtlantic Orthopedics and core strengthening
exercises his recovery went smoothly.
Today, David is pain free and back to full
duty as a Marine. His exercise routine includes
P90X training videos, running and core
exercises such as pull ups and sit ups. “My
recovery was quick after surgery and now I am
not limited in activity at all,” explains David.
Atlantic Orthopedics includes eleven fellowship-trained orthopedic specialists. Fellowship-training represents the highest level of orthopedic medical training in the United States. Click here to learn more.
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Disclaimer:
Where pictures of patients are displayed, the patients of Atlantic Orthopedics in Wilmington, North Carolina have consented to have their picture in this website for the purpose of patient education.
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