A surfing accident left Eric Smith with neck pain that radiated down through his left arm all the way to his fingers. The extreme sports enthusiast was diagnosed with bulging discs, and told that his best option was a spinal fusion surgery. Eric was apprehensive, since that would leave him with a limited range of motion, not to mention a prominent scar. “[The accident] changed how I view life, at 54 years old. But I don’t want to deal with pain either,” he explains.
Eric decided to strike out on his own and research whether there were alternative solutions to his neck pain. He found out about minimally invasive surgical options, and spent time online reading about procedures and listening to other patients’ stories. His research led Eric to Dr. Solomon Kamson and the Spine Institute Northwest.
“Dr. Kamson is a genuine man, he’s authentic,” recalls Eric of his first impressions of the surgeon. “He looks me in the eye, and we discussed my situation, and he was very thorough about what he would do. And he indicated that he would make my neck feel better, which I wasn’t sure about. That’s a grand claim. But certainly that has come to pass.”
With his research and trust in the Spine Institute Northwest, Eric felt comfortable with every part of his procedure –- spinal decompression and nerve ablation. “Every time I had a question or concern it was answered,” he says. Though Eric feels like he now has to realize some of his limitations, “I’m going to have a full, great life with what I have, because now I’m pain free.”
Hear Eric’s story in his own words: