Getting BACK to an Active Lifestyle

Kimberly Briner’s back pain had simply become a way of life. Assuming she was just one of those people with a bad back, Kimberly dealt with daily pain and numbness in her back and legs for years.
 
In December 2010 things took a turn for the worse while on a family vacation. Instead of enjoying an amazing experience with her family in Disney, Kimberly was in severe pain by 3pm each day to the point that she was fighting back tears. She didn’t know it at the time, but one of her vertebrae had slid forward on another. Her spine had slipped 25-30% and was pinching her nerves; consequently causing severe back pain with radiating pain down her legs.
 
In January 2011, shortly after her family vacation, Kimberly’s pain became unbearable. While playing tennis with a friend Kimberly ‘popped’ her back, leaving her in severe pain. She could barely move and it was time to seek help.

Family friend and Neurosurgeon Chris Kager brought Kimberly in for an assessment immediately. X-rays revealed the slippage of her vertebrae causing the pinching of nerves. Apprehensive about surgery, Kim chose a conservative approach, but a month of physical therapy provided little relief and no long-term solution. Although Kimberly was still apprehensive, she knew having surgery was the right decision for her and her family.
 
Dr. Kager operated on Kimberly in March of 2011. Although it took 6 weeks for Kimberly to get back into her normal routine, she was up and walking around the hospital the same night as her surgery, knowing immediately that she had made the right decision.
 
Completely free of any pain Kimberly was playing tennis just 6 months post-surgery and has plans of running a 3.5 mile race followed by an 8K! Kimberly’s advice to people suffering from any type of chronic pain is, “…don’t wait it out and try to find a good time to have surgery…looking back I am so thankful I just did it!”
 
Dr. Christopher Kager has been with Lancaster NeuroScience & Spine Associates since 2001 and specializes in spinal disorders and general neurosurgery including brain and spinal tumors.