In October of 2018, I re-herniated a disc in my lower back from a combination of years of chronic overuse, poor posture, stress, and a genetic disposition to back problems. Between October and January, I went to a local spinal physiatrist who tried to treat the pain with medications and an epidural spinal injection. It did not work, and my pain was constant and very severe, interfering with my job, my family-life, my sleep, simple tasks, and all of my favorite activities. Not only did I have serious pain radiating from my lower back down my legs and behind the knees, but I also had numbness and a “pins-and-needles” feeling in my feet and legs. As an art teacher, musician, and busy mommy, now finding myself in chronic, intense pain, I began to grow more and more discouraged.

I came to Dr. Biondi in January, and he determined which disc my issues were stemming from and ordered an MRI, which showed a massive lumbar disc hernia, as well as a sequestered, free fragment sitting on my nerve root. He, at this time, declared me a non-chiropractic case, and referred me for surgery to have the fragment removed. I scheduled surgery for February but went for a second opinion with a neurologist. After extensive online research, I began to wonder if the fragment might dissolve and be resorbed on its own over time, as had been the case with my first disc herniation in 2012. About this time, the disc fragment had eased off of the nerve root, alleviating some of my neurological symptoms so the neurologist was okay with my taking a wait-and-see approach. By June, I had finished my teaching job for the school year and was feeling improved enough to go back to Dr. B. He did a complete work-up of my symptoms again and felt it was reasonable to move ahead with chiropractic treatment.