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“I was suffering from acute sciatica. Every day, sharp, stabbing pain was shooting down my right leg. I went to Dr. Barcohana, who determined I had a disc shard wedged into my sciatic nerve root and that I would need a surgical procedure to remove it. I freaked. I’d never had a surgery before, and every worse case scenarios ran through my mind. What if it doesn’t work? What if I end up paralyzed? You name it I thought it. But the surgery was a breeze. The moment I woke up in recovery, the sciatic pain was gone. I woke up in recovery at 9 p.m. on a Tuesday and was home by 1 p.m. Wednesday. Dr. Barcohana did a fantastic job and I have to tell you, it’s nice to be pain-free again. Thank you, Dr. Barcohana!”
Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“I am writing to thank you for allowing me the pleasure of walking again, after living with intense pain for four years. Having been advised by another spinal specialist that I might be better off learning to live with the pain, because the risks associated with surgery might outweigh the benefit due to the number of things that were involved in my case, your optimism gave me the confidence to undergo the fusion process. Now, three weeks after surgery, I can walk with a spring in my step and sit up for a few hours each day. As my healing progresses, I look forward to reclaiming my life. Thank you so much.”
Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“When I met Dr. Barcohana, I was unable to do anything but lay in bed. The pain I experienced was so intense that while I was on pain medication, muscle relaxants, and ibuprofen, I was still in constant excruciating pain. The pain from my back went down my left leg, making it very difficult for me to walk or stand. Sitting was impossible. I ate my meals, lying on my side, having to use a straw for drinks. Dr. Barcohana recommended surgery.
The morning following surgery, I was sitting up in bed and walking. I went home that day and was able to walk up the stairs of my home. I stopped all pain medication two days after surgery. The pain I have now is subsiding and I am able to mover better every day. I would highly recommend having back surgery by Dr. Barcohana to anyone with back pain. My only regret is that I didn’t get to his office sooner.
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Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“It is my pleasure to recommend the services of Dr. Babak Barcohana and his staff. He is a caring physician as well as a skilled one. Every aspect of my spinal surgery was positive and my recovery has been phenomenal. Dr. Blecher, another physician at Southern California Orthopedic Institute, referred me to Dr. Barcohana in April 2010. A recent MRI had shown that I had a broken cervical disc, with a piece pressing on the nerve. I was in extreme pain and quickly losing control of my right arm. From the moment Dr. Barcohana entered the examining room he was attentive. He listened to all my complaints and performed a complete exam. He explained every recommendation he made. He took the time to record my complete case into the computer. He answered all of my questions. I felt positive that spinal surgery was my best option towards relieving my pain as well as regaining control of my arm.
Surgery was scheduled quickly with the help of Dr. Barcohana’s knowledgeable and competent staff. However, Dr. Barcohana went one step further. I have a history of metal allergy. When I expressed my concerns to Dr. Barcohana, he called the prosthetic disc supplier and arranged to have a disc delivered the next day. He taped this to my arm to perform a simple skin test to check for any allergies. I had no reaction. Dr. Barcohana performed my surgery May 4, 2010. Check –in was simple and quick. The nurses are compassionate and friendly. Surgery began at 7 a.m. and I was awake in my room before 2 p.m. My throat was sore, but the pain in my neck was completely gone. The surgery was a success and I have not had any pain since. The hospital staff had me up and walking within an hour after I awoke. The physical therapists are very helpful in preparing you for a successful recovery. I was released the next day and my sore throat was gone within a couple of days. I took the therapist’s advice and walked as much as possible after surgery. I believe that the increased circulation aided my speedy recovery. I was in cervical collar for a few weeks and couldn’t lift anything heavier than 5 pounds for a few months. However, I followed Dr. Barcohana’s directions precisely, for fear of compromising his excellent work. I returned to SCOI for my 1-year anniversary check-up. X-rays show that I have healed completely. I have no pain or restriction of movement. I feel fantastic! I am very grateful to Dr. Barcohana. I recommend this surgery to anyone considering it. It was such a great experience and no difficulty at all. Ask Dr. Barcohana your questions. He is exceedingly knowledgeable and patient. I am confident in his abilities.”
Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“After years of severe pain, much of it going down my leg, I sought out an expert for help. More than one physician referred me to Dr. Barcohana. I am ecstatic that I followed their recommendations! After consulting with Dr. Barcohana and his supportive staff, a date for surgery was set. The operation was very successful and I am totally pain free, just as Dr. Barcohana had predicted. His skills enabled me to declare myself able to resume everyday activities, as well as returning to sports. I am now retired and love to work at acting. Dr. Barcohana is well aware of my desires and thanks to him, auditions and performing are once again, all possible! THANK YOU!”
Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“I am a 74-year-old white female in good health. I am 5’2 and I weigh 114 pounds. I have always led a very active life, including exercising, walking, dancing. In 2009, I began to experience pain in the lower left side of my back. A physician told me I could avoid surgery through physical therapy. I was in physical therapy for about one year. During that year, I also had thirteen injections to relieve the pain. There was no relief. In fact, the pain began to increase. Finally in 2011, I consulted Dr. Barcohana. After taking x-rays, I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis. I was still apprehensive about surgery. But after Dr. Barcohana explained the procedure and the positive results I could expect, I agreed.
My surgery was performed October 22, 2011. I was hospitalized for three days. Since pain medication doesn’t agree with me, upon arriving home, I just took extra strength Tylenol as needed. The pain was minimal. Dr. Barcohana recommended physical therapy for approximately three months, first, aquatic, then the gym. On January 12, 2012, I was allowed to remove my back brace. My last day of therapy was February 6, 2012. I now have no pain and I am starting to get back to my normal routine. The only regret I have is the fact that I waited so long to have the surgery. I am very grateful to Dr. Barcohana for a job well done.
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Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“I would like to tell you how pleased I am with my low back surgery, which was eight weeks ago. When I came fully awake in my room on August 2nd, I realized I didn’t have pain down my leg! This was the first time since my original injury in January that I didn’t have pain going down my leg. When I originally injured my lower back, I thought it was a pulled muscle or back strain. The doctor and I gave it the three to four weeks of recovery and therapy. That is the normal treatment plan but I didn’t respond as normal. When I reinjured my back in May, the doctor put me off work until I had my consultation. At the initial consultation, Dr. Barcohana’s desire to give me the best results for my situation made me feel that I was looked at as a complete person with my future functionally in mind. At that point, both my husband and I knew that the decision to go to SCOI and see Dr. Barcohana was the right one. As I said above, from the time I awoke from surgery, I have NEVER again had pain down my left leg. Since my injury eight months before, I had never been out of pain! I didn’t realize how debilitating it had become as I had continued to function and ignored the pain as much as I could. I know that pills were not the answer and avoided them as much as possible. When I came home August 5th and finally started to move around, I would freeze and wait for the pain and it didn’t come! That’s when I really realized how wonderful it felt. Thank you for making me whole again and giving back the ability to work and function again.
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Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“I would like to say that Dr. Barcohana referred me to Southern California Orthopedic Institute. The service and care they have provided is outstanding, from the staff’s politeness to the professional environment, in which they care for their patients. On a scale from 1 through 10, I would give it a huge 10! Thank you!
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Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“On August 20, 2012, I had a microdiscectomy surgery on my spine, which was performed by Dr. Babak Barcohana of SCOI. This ended four months of extreme back and sciatica pain, resulting in severe antalgia, disability, and loss of quality of my life. My severe pain lasted much longer than it needed to because of two factors. The first was that I did not know exactly what was wrong with me and the second was that I was misguided about how beneficial spinal surgery could be. In retrospect, I lost a lot of time trying to solve my painful back problems with chiropractors, acupuncture, decompression therapy, and other alternative techniques. These techniques were not going to work in my case because I had a severely herniated disc, but I did not know it. I thought I just had muscle problems in my back. I began to get on the right track for treatment, when finally a very honest chiropractor told me that he would not be able to help me and he did not want to waste my time or money. He suggested getting a vertical MRI to understand exactly what my situation was. I did this the next day, and from the results of that, I was advised that I needed surgery.
At least knowing I needed surgery was a comforting feeling. Before that, when I did not get relief from any treatment, and I did not know exactly what was wrong, I feared that I would never be able to get out of that pain.
Once I was told that surgery would help my situation, I felt hope. Then I just had to find an excellent surgeon. After interviewing several surgeons, I found the person I was looking for in Dr. Barcohana. I liked him from the first appointment. He actually listens, answers questions clearly, and provided me with all the information that I wanted to have about my condition and its treatment. I also noticed that he cares. I did not find this with the other surgeons I met.
Dr. Barcohana was very familiar with my type of case, and was confident he could fix it. He did, and I was back to work 10 weeks after the surgery. I am now without pain, off any type of painkillers, and feel very healthy and strong like I did before my disc herniated. The surgery took about 2 hours and I spent one night in the hospital. The day after the surgery, I was already able to be up walking for short periods of time. The next week, I took it very slow, slept a lot, and walked just a little bit each day. Then I began aquatic physical therapy. After a month of that, I began regular physical therapy. I felt the relief and progress were rapid.
Surgery has helped me out of a very difficult period of severe back and sciatica pain, which had limited my activities almost completely for many months. The pain had caused me to have severe antalgia (making my body very twisted) and it made me unable to work. I am only 45 years old, but it made me have to walk with a cane. I couldn’t even sit comfortably and could only find some relief by lying on one side of my body. It is Dr. Barcohana who performed this surgery for me and I would recommend him wholeheartedly to anyone. He has proved to be a superb surgeon and doctor. I commented to him “Wow, it must feel great to you that you actually are able to get people out of pain and see them feel good again, and he answered “That is what we are here for. Thank you, Dr. Barcohana.”
Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
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“About five years ago, I was looking at an image of my lumbar spine, scanned by MRI. According to the opinion of the radiologist, I had some evidence of bone degeneration disease at the L2 and L3 vertebras, and that I would need to address this in the future. The pain related to my back seemed to make itself more present within a couple of years. After ingesting about 800 mg of ibuprofen just to get me through the day at work, I finally decided to get some professional help. I’ll admit that I might have spared myself from a lot of pain had I not chickened-out from beginning of the protocols for taking care of my condition. SCOI had helped me in the past with not only a shoulder issue, wonderfully corrected by Dr. Karzel, but also a pain treatment to my left hand by Dr. Lynch. Both experiences were positive and made me feel better, so I naturally was drawn to choose a back specialist there at SCOI.
Dr. Babak Barcohana talked to me about my back pain and applied a schedule of up to 3 vertebral injections. The injections proved to last for about a month for me. For that period of time, I could function fine without the assistance of pain medications. After that, I simply could not function normally without them. So after waiting another few months, I returned to Dr. Barcohana and scheduled a surgical procedure.
The procedure was a laminectomy and fusion at level L2 – L3. Traditionally, this procedure would require an extended hospital stay, a significant amount of postoperative pain, and a slow and long recovery time. Dr. Barcohana told me that he would operate using the XLIF procedure. It is a minimally invasive procedure that would greatly reduce my hospital stay, reduce the amount of postoperative pain, a faster recovery, as well as take care of the original problem with was causing me so much pain for so long. From the moment I was greeted by the staff in the surgical department, I felt that I was in good hands. My experience in the hospital was positive. All of the personnel demonstrated professionalism as well as kindness. I’m grateful to all of them.
It is now one month since my procedure. I have weaned myself off of the pain medication and am happily engaging in aquatic physical therapy. The 90-degree water provides a weightless and soothing experience as I regain my strength. I will begin land physical therapy in a couple weeks. I would like to thank Dr. Barcohana and his team for their excellent care as well as the doctor’s cure of what was a very painful condition. I would highly recommend SCOI and their complete staff dedicated to increasing the quality of life of their patients.
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Treating Doctor: Babak Barcohana, MD
