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“Dr. Barcohana has changed my life! My lower back after a work incident left me in a lot of pain. Today my mobility has improved and my cane use is now late in the day and for my walks. Dr. Burns also helped my shoulder as my cane use to irritate my shoulder socket. Today, I feel better and thank SCOI for all their help. -- Gary L.”
Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“It has been one year since you operated on my back. I am writing to tell you that my back feels great, thanks to your excellent work. I have enjoyed a year of renewed physical activity without the discomfort I had before the surgery. I will be forever grateful for your skills as a surgeon. Thank you.”
Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“I wanted to write a letter to thank you for giving me my regular life back again. After my L5 disc herniated, I could not walk without extreme pain, which caused me to have to take high doses of pain medication just to function. As a busy mom, I had delayed having back surgery for a couple years because I hoped my symptoms would go away and wouldn’t have to stop my schedule, but mostly I was extremely scared of back surgery. However, the microdisectomy surgery you performed several months ago was a life-saver and I wish I had done it sooner. I am already so much better than I was before the surgery. I am off of all pain medications now and walking with just a little bit of pain here and there. I know that will continue to improve throughout my recovery and physical therapy. I appreciate your expertise and would recommend you to any of my friends and family. I also wanted to compliment your staff from the check-in to x-ray to check-out person on their professionalism and compassion, as it made the process much easier to handle.
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Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“I would like to thank Dr. Barcohana for using his talent and brilliance to help me and many more to come.”
Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“I am a 73 yr. old woman. I retired from Los Angeles Unified School District in 1994. I've always had a back problem, but it became worse after a fall. The pain extended from the lower back down to the buttocks and into both legs and feet. After 2 epidurals, no relief. The Orthopedic doctor who had done them referred me to Dr. Barcohana, a spinal surgeon. The thought of surgery scared me to death. I remember hearing 'Oh, don't have any back surgery they might make it worse.' But the pain was affecting my mobility and any activities, such as shopping. When I arrived to see Dr. Barcohana I was in a wheelchair. I was so unsteady on my feet I couldn't use a walker. I was so nervous and apprehensive I didn't ask any questions. To this day I don't know what he did but it was miracle. Four days in the hospital, by the third day I was getting out of bed by myself and walking a few steps in the hall way with assistance. After 10 wks. of aqua therapy and land therapy I am doing well. I can sit, stand up, walk upstairs with hand rails and in house stairs. Cannot walk in heels yet but that's O.K.
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Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“I just turned 65. I’m in good health except for a back injury. A big back injury! I do not know the when, but it was about 5 years ago. I tried everything. My walking became limited and my legs ached, mostly at night. No one seemed to isolate the problem. Finally I saw this chart that referenced my L3 and L4 vertebrae. There was a bulge. I decided to see a specialist. I started locally but realized I needed to go somewhere else. I picked The Southern California Orthopedic Institute in Van Nays, CA. I took the MRI I did locally to SCOI. What I had was my L3, L4, L5 crushing my nerve. Operation was May 7, it was a Tuesday. I was released on Thursday. Today is Wednesday May 15th and I’m doing well. I can walk unassisted. I had some rough moments. Now my legs don’t hurt all night. I sit up with no help. I can go up and down a couple of steps without a cane. I didn’t need to use pain pills as it was not as bad as I thought it would be. I lost my ability to hike. Maybe I can do it again. As soon as the Doctor says I will start exercising. Having surgery is not a small matter. My Surgeon was Dr. Bob Barcohana. I am pleased with the staff of SCOI, and the stay at Valley Presbyterian Hospital. They took very good care of me. I feel I made a good choice.”
Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“I feel very well. I have had previous lumbar spine L5-S1 and interbody L5-S1 surgery with another surgeon. Because of this trauma and from all the problems from the previous surgeries, I was very fearful to have another spinal surgery. I was injured at Fry’s Electronics and worked for the DWP for a while. I was very mechanical and the pain got so bad in my shoulder, which affected my hand also. I finally saw Dr. Barcohana and I’m very grateful with the doctor and staff. They have fantastic demeanor. Everyone at SCOI is very attentive and I would recommend the surgery to everyone. I feel very hopeful after 2 ½ yrs of pain. I had surgery a couple of months ago and feel great. I now am pain free. I want everyone to know that I have now had three major surgeries on my spine with the SCOI unit. This unit and Dr. Barcohana are wonderful. The physical therapy in Valencia is great. I would be willing to recommend to everyone.”
Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“I just wanted to send a very special thank you for taking extraordinary care/service of me the week before last. You all went above and beyond what is expected and for that I am very appreciative and grateful. I was in a lot of back pain, which was made worse by my elbow. The epidural was huge in providing me relief. So please know, I am so grateful for you all moving mountains to get me in, so I didn’t have to wait another week. As you say, we will most likely be in each other’s lives for many years. I am glad I can trust your opinion and solutions. Thank you to you and your staff for their extraordinary services.
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Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“It has been two months since my lower back surgery (lumbar microdiscectomy) and so far, I am very pleased with the results. As a very active 40-year-old male, it was very difficult to give up all my physical activities (running, biking, skating, hiking, P90x). However, the leg and back pain stripped me of all things active. As opposed as I was to surgery, I also understood the permanent nerve damage that was occurring as a result of my herniated L4 L5 disc. I appreciate your efforts to avoid surgery, while prescribing physical therapy and giving my body time to heal. Unfortunately, my numbness and pain increased as a result of crushed nerves from the herniated disc. The decision was made to schedule surgery and after all my research, I was very pleased to be in the hands of a doctor that specialized in minimally invasive surgery. I have heard all the horror stories of back surgery and felt that this approach made the most sense.
When I awoke from surgery, I could feel my leg and the tingling was gone. The recovery has been slow and painful, however, I am moving around better every day. In addition to physical therapy, I started exercising on the elliptical and even enjoyed a bike ride with my son this weekend. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to get back on my feet and enjoy life. My six-year-old son also appreciates the progress as he is getting his daddy back. Have a wonderful holiday.
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Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“I am a 57 year old woman. I had back surgery originally 21 years ago by someone different. I had two disc bulges and at that time, I received an approximate 7-8 inch incision. They broke my back on one side and literally scooped out my L4-L5 and L5-S1 discs. I was sewn up and I was not fused. I was released without even a back brace. I was in extreme pain from this surgery for a good six months. So I was very scared to have another one, but I got to the point where I was again in so much pain, that I finally could no longer ignore it and pain medication only goes so far.
Dr. Barcohana performed surgery on November 11th, 2011. It was about a four hour surgery. The incision was approximately six inches long. He found inside that even though I was never fused, my L5-S1 vertebrae had fused on his own, but incorrectly. He had to break the fusion, and reposition both vertebrae. Baskets containing bone and synthetic bone (bone marrow was also originally discussed) were place between my L4-L5 and L5-S1 vertebrae to promote fusion. He also put in two rods with six two inch screws. My first night was hard and very painful, but by the second day, I started to see some optimistic signs that I never saw after the first surgery. I was sent home after four days in the hospital with a brace. While waiting at home, I had an ice machine and a bone growth stimulator machine. It has now been two months and two days. I returned to work one week ago. Sitting is the hardest, so I was afraid my job would be hard due to constant sitting, but I was wrong. I am doing so well. I have no reason to believe I will not be incredibly better. I try to walk a lot and I was told that is very important. It still hurts when I bend or do something I am not supposing to, but I try to be very careful on how I do things. Every week, I see more and more improvements and am now also rehabbing in a pool environment before I go to land rehab.
Dr. Barcohana, I can’t thank you and SCOI enough for your talent and professionalism. I am truly looking forward to six months down the road, where I should be really able to see the improvement. That is also one thing I noticed about my first surgery, is that even up to 5 years later, I still improved. I was able to run 5 years later. I can only imagine what my life will be like now that my back has been successfully secured. Thank you so much for making this a positive experience. I would recommend Dr. Barcohana and SCOI to anyone.
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Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
