Throughout 20 years as a Vocational Case Manager, I worked with perhaps 1,000 Industrial Insurance clients who suffered from work-related injuries. While bodily injuries ranged from head to toe, most pertained to the lumbar spine. As I progressed through my career, I became knowledgeable about diagnoses, prognoses, medications, palliative vs. curative treatment, surgical intervention, and other modalities. Also, I heard about which physicians provided the best care, had long-term outcomes and most patient satisfaction. About 10 years ago, I incurred a lumbar disc herniation from a personal injury at home. Now I could directly relate to my client’s pain complaints, how they suffered and how pain impacted their quality of life.

Over the course of several years, I had X-rays and MRIs that confirmed disc herniation and/or bulges at all lumbar vertebrae, the T12-L1 (thoracic-lumbar) vertebra, and the L5-S1 (lumbar-sacral) vertebra. In addition, I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis (narrowing of nerve canal), and severe radiculopathy that sent sharp, shooting pain that radiated down my left leg, with numbness and tingling in my foot. Consequently, chronic pain altered my quality of life due to physical limitations in lifting, carrying, bending, twisting, stooping and climbing that I endured. As I was firmly opposed to traditional open surgery, I underwent several years of conservative treatment with a highly regarded physiatrist, went to several physical therapy programs and was prescribed numerous medications. Unfortunately, therapy didn’t provide long-term relief and the medications irritated my stomach causing ulcers, which also had to be treated.

Over-the-counter medication was limited to acetaminophen and I had to continually increase the dose just for temporary relief. For about a year I went to a chiropractor 2-3 times a week and who performed spinal manipulations. Unfortunately, these also only addressed the symptoms but not the problem. Eventually, I starting going to one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the area who prescribed medications for pain relief, muscle spasms and sleep, and performed several epidural steroid and nerve root block injections over the course of several years. Initially, I gained long-term relief from the injections but, eventually, they lasted only three days. At that time, he gave me the option to either “live with the pain or undergo surgery”. I knew that surgery meant having my back sliced open 6-8 inches, that there could be post-operative complications from scar tissue, infection and a possible failed surgery, and that I may still have pain, even if of a different nature. I felt defeated. Then, a friend told me about Dr. Soloman Kamson who performed minimally-invasive surgery.

I consulted with Dr. Kamson who patiently listened to my concerns and complaints, reviewed my history, read the diagnostic reports, and listened some more. Following a complete and thorough investigation of my specific condition, he was able to pin-point the exact location and cause of the pain. Consequently, I underwent a 2-level minimally-invasive operation that consisted of a laminectomy and spinal decompression at the T12-L1 level and a laminectomy and facet fusion at the L5-S1 level to relieve pain symptoms and stabilize my back. He extracted bone cells from my hip and injected them into my spine to aid in regeneration at the fused site. The incision was about an inch long and was done in an out-patient setting whereby I was able to walk in and out after a couple of hours with little or no assistance. Today, I am three months post-operative and pain free due to Dr. Kamson’s diligence, perseverance and expertise. This is why I refer to him as “Dr. Miracle”. No other physician was able to relieve the pain as did Dr. Kamson.

I highly recommend Dr. Kamson and his wonderful, professional staff to anyone who is struggling with chronic pain and wants relief from long-term suffering.

Julie Schnabel