Thomas Grove has tackled a lot as a Nebraska State Trooper. But a friendly game of flag football almost sidelined him.
“I felt something was wrong,” Grove says as he describes the pain. “There was a sharp pain in my back and I couldn’t stand up. I couldn’t go to work. I couldn’t function.”
With no real history of back pain, Grove did what many people do. He went to bed and tried to sleep it off.
“It wasn’t like muscle soreness,” he says. “It was a sharp shooting pain. It was debilitating.”
When rest didn’t work, his primary care doctor sent him to the Alegent Health Back and Spine Institute. A call to 717-BACK, and he was in to see the doctor the same day.
“I was very pleased with the same day service,” he says.
“I do treat a lot of back and neck pain,” she says. “If you see a lot of people with back pain, you start to recognize patterns and symptoms.”
That’s the idea behind the Back and Spine Institute – putting all of the back and spine care experts under one umbrella. They call it continuum of care – so whether you need physical therapy or surgery, a call to 717-BACK will put you on the road to recovery.
Thomas Grove was back to work in just a couple of days. Feeling better, for him, meant following the doctor’s orders and exercising to strengthen his back.
“I’m still doing exercises so this doesn’t happen again,” he says.
More than 80 percent of the adult population will experience back pain in their lifetime – and because the pain is so different from patient to patient, the treatment also varies. But now they have somewhere to go – and someone who understands their pain.
I had previous surgery about 8 years ago and my right leg, buttocks have so much pain I can't walk well or sleep. i'm wondering if this could be from my back again. My right hip is doing fine. I just had an xray.
Marge, It is difficult to say without a thorough examination by a doctor. I would recommend you call 717-BACK (2225) and talk to one of our nurses and schedule an appointment to see a physiatrist (rehab doctor). The physiatrist will examine you on the first visit and check your strength, reflexes, diagnose the cause of the pain, review for possible neurological problems, and evaluate the need for MRI or other imaging tests.
Robin Olmstead RN, BSN, ONC
Care Coordinator
Alegent Health Back and Spine Institute
I just want to let anyone reading this know that the care I've received here at the Alegent Health Back Clinic is outstanding! I have a fairly debilitating bulging disk and Dr. Lorenzo and my physical therapist, Alan have done an amazing job trying to get me back on the right track. I would highly recommend them to anyone with back pain!
