Re: New and would love advice!

May 10, 2006

I had Cervical Fusion in January C3-6 and now four months later, I do not have a

stiff neck, have almost as much range of motion as before, and can't see that it

caused me any problems as far as a stiff neck, none.

Hope this helps,

Shirley

amcedu34 <amcedu33@...> wrote:

Hi everyone,

I had a car accident 2 months ago that left me with shoulder/neck

pain. Physical therapy didn't resolve the pain, so finally my dr

ordered an MRI. It showed a rather large herniated disc at C3-C4

that is pressing on my spinal cord. I'm back in PT, doing traction,

massage, and some gentle neck stretching. If this doesn't help

within a few weeks, my neurosurgeon wants to due an anterior

discectomy and fusion. I'm 35 and don't like that option!! But...

I'm getting more numbness/tingling down my arms and into my hands,

and just a slight bit into my left leg as well. I know surgery may

have to come sooner rather than later.

I live in an area where we don't have cutting edge medical care

(northern midwest), so I've been trying to look elsewhere and find

better options (i.e. NO FUSION). I've tried to get specific info

from the Mayo Clinic in MN (if they offer alternatives to fusion),

but ran into brick walls. The Bonati Institue in Florida says they

can help me without removing the disc, but my insurance won't cover

most of the cost down there. I know there are other places in

Florida that are similar to Bonati. Does anyone have experience with

any of these places?

Does anybody know where they do cervical surgery for a case like

mine that does NOT involve fusion? Any info would be appreciated!!

(including stories about cervical fusions, since I may have no

choice...)

Thanks!

March 9, 2010

generally the band providers are not doctors. The doc writes the prescription,

then may periodically check on progress. The band providers are orthotists at

most places (star and hanger plus others). The staff at Cranial tech are

generally either nurses or physical therapists, who have been trained by CT.

Check the reputation of the starband office you were referred to. We went to a

very good starband ortho in the San Francisco Bay area and had good results. In

general I don't think the band providers are interested in " selling " . You could

ask your ped to a referal to a cranio facial plastic surgeon or a neurosurgeon

if you want a specialists opinion. Our ped referred us to a cranial facial

plastic surgeon since she wasn't familiar with banding.

-christine

sydney, 4 yrs, stareband grad

>

> Hi everyone, I'm from NJ, and I just discovered this group today. Last

week my daughter Katelyn, who is 4 months old, had a dr's appointment, and our

pediatrician recommended we take her to a cranial specialist to evaluate her

head. She definitely has a flat spot on the right side and her ears are a

little uneven. I don't think she has any trouble with her neck muscles because

for the last few days I have been making sure I turn her head to the left

instead of the right and she is perfectly happy that way. The doctor gave us a

prescription to take her to a Cranial Remolding Center nearby, but it is not a

doctor's office, it is a center where they do a STARscan and I assume get a

STARband. Now I am wondering if I should ask the doctor to send us to a

neurologist first, or try to see if there is a Cranial Tech center anywhere near

us? I called my insurance company and they said the place we are going is out of

network, but could not give me any names of places that were in network. And I

am not sure if the place we are going will give us a realistic picture of what

we should do, or if they are just interested in selling their product and will

tell everybody their baby needs it. I would appreciate some advice from anyone

who had had a similar experience. Thanks!

>

March 10, 2010

we became very concerned around 6 months and wanted to take action quickly. our

pediatrician scheduled us to see a neurologist and to get a CT scan 2 months out

and we knew the urgency to get into a helmet, so we did not want to wait. plus,

with a little research, i found that the neurologist we were scheduled to see

used a passive helmet that i had not heard good things about. i searched and

searched for DOCband, STARband and Hanger offices near me and ended up finding a

great Hanger location. the orthotist got us in immediately and we got our band

within one week. i told him our ped wanted us to get a CT scan and he said that

was not a bad idea but he did not think we should wait for a CT scan to get our

band. time is essential. so we went ahead and banded without the CT scan and we

are seeing AMAZING results and have canceled our appointment for the CT.

from what i have read, it seems like the majority of plagio is placemental and

not developmental. also from what i have read, if you band and see quick results

there is no need for a CT because you cannot fix the problem with a helmet if

there are underlying problems such as fusing.

i would say that if you are just at 4 months and feel more comfortable getting a

CT scan and can get it done quickly, it would put you at ease. just keep in mind

that time is an issue when banding, so do it fast. you can always do what we did

and get started with your band and then do the CT if you still are concerned.

also from everything i have read, i would stick with a 'name brand' like the

STARband office you found, or DOC band or Hanger (if you can find an experienced

orthotist). they may seem like they are 'selling' the product but from what i

experienced, they just are so specialized in this area that they may recognize

it more than the smaller, local places.

good luck!