Donna tells their story of how the AdventHealth Medical Group Spine Health team helped to diagnose, treat and heal their condition. Read their testimonial to learn more about our approach to helping our patients live pain-free.
If you look up the word “adventure” in the dictionary, Donna’s picture could easily appear right alongside the definition you find. In fact, it seemed like nothing ever scared her – she was active and always willing to take a risk to do something fun.
“I jump out of planes, skydive and horseback ride,” Donna says. “I do it all!”
To put it another way, things that send many of us running in the other direction would often be exactly what she was running toward – that is, until running was no longer an option for her.
A hard landing following one of her parachuting adventures left Donna with back pain that was so intense, even the thought of adjusting or moving her body made her cringe. While in the hospital, her attending physician strongly encouraged her to see a spine specialist, and immediately referred her to Chetan Patel at AdventHealth Medical Group Spine Health. She’s very grateful for that advice.
“The team was great from the start,” Donna says of her experience at the institute. “Everyone was very kind and professional. They’re just generally good people.”
Diagnostic tests showed that the high-energy impact of the landing caused Donna to fracture her sacral ala and S2 vertebra in her lumbar spine, but the fracture wasn’t severe enough to warrant surgery just yet. Instead, Dr. Patel helped Donna control her pain by prescribing pain medication while her spine safely healed in a spine stabilizer brace. After 6-8 weeks of rest, Donna was able to slowly regain her normal range of motion without any pain.
Dr. Patel’s minimally invasive approach to spinal care allowed Donna to heal quickly and safely, and without the need for surgery. But while she knew she was receiving quality health care, she initially had no idea that she was in such good hands.
“I didn’t know when I was referred to Dr. Patel that I was getting help from a popular doctor,” Donna says. “After I heard more about him, I thought, ‘Wow, I’m being treated by a world-renowned physician!’ That made all the difference.”
Now, Donna is back to her many adventures and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. “I'm back to parachuting, skydiving and horseback riding,” she said. “Thank you!"
If you’ve been experiencing back pain, give our office a call at Call 407-303-5452. Dr. Chetan Patel strives to provide the least invasive treatments possible for a variety of back and neck conditions. For educational videos on common spine conditions and prevention tips, visit our SpineU video library.
