X-Rays taken at the Three-Month Mark

Sorry, I've been slacking with this blog.... It's been exactly 4 months since I had the 2-level ADR surgery. I had x-rays taken last month on 11/28/12 and had sent them in for review, but I have yet to hear from Dr. Clavel. I had hoped to hear from him by now considering it's never taken this long to get a response. I'm assuming it's because of the holiday season.... Anyways, I had the x-rays taken at my orthopedic surgeon's office. Dr. Asdourian said the images looked great; the implants are settling in nicely with the vertebrae. Of course that was great news. The only thing I'm slightly concerned about is the fact that I've been having constant pain in the anterior tibia muscle. This has been going on for the past 2 months now. Dr. Asdourian is not quite sure why I'm experiencing pain in that part of the leg. He gave me a plethora of reasons from scar tissue to possibly a pinched nerve, etc. He wants me to get either a MRI or a CAT scan (it depends on Dr. Clavel's recommendation) just to make sure a nerve isn't pinched. In the meantime, he prescribed Neurontin and Meloxicam in hopes it will help alleviate the pain.

Frontal View

Lateral View

Once I hear back from Dr. Clavel, I'll post an update. Thus far, I've been doing relatively well aside from the pain. I have already gone back to work full-time and have been driving around without any issues (yes, I still wear my back brace for safety precautions). I've regained most of my strength and flexibility...thanks to my awesome little family at Active Physical Therapy. (Tomorrow I'll be going in for another reevaluation so there is a good possibility my PT sessions will be coming to an end). I'm not as ecstatic as I thought I would be for hitting this milestone...perhaps my celebration will happen once I hear back from Dr. Clavel and get the reassurance I need that everything is going as well as expected.

12th week Physiotherapy Reevaluation

My physiotherapist did another evaluation. From his standpoint, I'm well on track with my range of motion. His assessment is as follows:

• Flexion - 51°
• Right Side-Bending (RSB) - 30°
• Left Side-Bending (LSB) - 32°
• Core Strength - 4/5
• Hip Flex/Abduction - 4+/5
• Straight Leg Raise: Right - 87°, Left - 86°
• Sit and Reach to Ankle

According to his assessment, I have improved in all areas. After I voiced my unrealistic expectations of wanting to attain the same level of flexibility prior to surgery, he recommended another 4 weeks of therapy. Thus, I am still going 3 days a week. There has been a slight change in my workout routine. All the weights I've been working with have increased by one pound. Additionally, two exercises have been incorporated to work on my core strength: walk-out and push-ups on the medicine ball, and walk-out with leg raise, again on the medicine ball.