Patient Stories
Sutter Spine Services
Janine - Work and Play Better Without Pain
Janine's eight acres never looked bigger than it did when chronic pain kept her from her chores, horses and dogs. Since 2004 she had been experiencing shooting pain from her back down to her legs. But when her pain started getting in the way of her job as a probation officer, Janine went looking for answers.
"I couldn't stand upright for too long, and as the pain increased my legs would go off-balance," says Janine. "It was getting so bad that my clients would notice I was in pain and ask me if I was OK."
An MRI showed that Janine had significant spondylolisthesis, slippage of one spinal vertebra on another. After physical therapy and medications failed, her chiropractor referred her to Sutter Neuroscience Institute spine surgeon Barry French, M.D., FACS. In May 2006, Dr. French performed a lumbar fusion at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento.
"Dr. French explained everything in detail and would sit with me patiently until all my questions were answered," says Janine. "He is one of the best doctors I have ever had."
Eight weeks after her surgery, Janine was swimming and hiking with her dogs. Three months post-surgery, she was back to work with no restrictions. And a few months later, she was able to saddle up and ride her 3-year-old quarter horse, Rosie.
For more information, or an appointment with Dr. French, please call (916) 733-5028.
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