Bertolotti's Syndrome: Looking for a specialist

Posted by Casie Cox @casieann, Apr 6, 2015

Wondering if There are any Doctors that specialize in Bertolotti's Syndrome. I am moving to Florida and I desperately need to find someone who can relieve me of this pain.

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Profile picture for dbamos1945 @dbamos1945

@rangerraptor: You may not immediately receptive to my routine; but please consider:
I’m 81 with degerative discs (bulging, nerve damage) and several years ago was recovering a bout of sciatica and wanted to improve balance & strengthen muscles. I chose a “ chair yoga” class - 45minutes 2x week. It has given me my goals plus much more flexibility than I’ve ever had! Gentle TaiChi is also helpful if you can try a class!
My recommendation: Be gentle with your body and seek consistent, gentle stretching to prepare you for the “athlete inside” at the gym. Best…

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@dbamos1945
Thanks so much. Both are very good suggestions and I have been meaning to try. Unfortunately this extra disc, L6, Bertolotti syndrome is what is causing me to lose flexibility as I age and more arthritis sets in. I'm still willing to try so thanks again. I have been doing a gentle mat pilates class and that has helped relieve the pain a little but from what I understand from research nothing is going to bring the flexibility back without removing the disc.

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Profile picture for rangerraptor @rangerraptor

It's been about 2+ years now I have been dealing with severe back pain. I have done all the steps to get me to this point and believe surgery is my only option. After ablations, PT and everything else they recommend I no longer have nerve pain but my aching pain is a 6-7 on the scale and I have lost a tremendous amount of flexibility and mobility. I have read about the surgeries for this condition and I'm just wondering what the outcomes are. I'm a 73 year old male endurance athlete who wants to continue exercising but it is getting extremely difficult to push through the pain. If anyone has had any of the possible procedures please tell me how long and hard the recovery is and how successful the surgery is. Thanks

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@rangerraptor
Depending on where you live, you may want to contact the Mayo Clinic Spine Center. They have 3 locations --Phoenix Arizona,/ Rochester,Minnesota,/ and Jacksonvile, Florida.
I had Bertolotti's, but that was a minor aspect of my corrective surgery. My main issue was severe Scoliosis.

When I previously researched Bertolotti's, I noticed that the majority of people that developed it have Scoliosis.

I had my surgery at Mayo-Rochester and it was an amazing experience.

Good Luck!

Nadine

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Profile picture for nlback22 @nlback22

@rangerraptor
Depending on where you live, you may want to contact the Mayo Clinic Spine Center. They have 3 locations --Phoenix Arizona,/ Rochester,Minnesota,/ and Jacksonvile, Florida.
I had Bertolotti's, but that was a minor aspect of my corrective surgery. My main issue was severe Scoliosis.

When I previously researched Bertolotti's, I noticed that the majority of people that developed it have Scoliosis.

I had my surgery at Mayo-Rochester and it was an amazing experience.

Good Luck!

Nadine

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@nlback22
Thanks for the info. I have an online appointment with the Mayo Clinic here in Florida. They are 3 hours away from me. Yes, I have developed some scoliosis that I don't believe I had before this back pain got so bad. I can't believe what I have accomplished with this and only started having trouble the last few years. Multiple Ironman races, marathons, Baseball till age 45 and being a NY City firefighter for 26 years. I never knew I had it and now it is causing major problems.
Thank You!

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