[ZorroSF]

I have to jump in here. I have been negligent on this board and haven't added my 2 cents in quite a while. I've had nothing but major issues since I came to LA. I won't get into them here.

What I want to say is that nobody in San Francisco is going to cure you. You have to take charge of your situation and bring testing results back to this board and have other patients peruse your ailments. Then you need to take that summation and find the right doctor who can treat you. Zucherman doesn't do any serious testing on patients. he'll take an x-ray and look at an old MRI, but he won't spend any time with you to make the right decision. you're going to have to go elsewhere to find a better decision maker. He can correctly position the ADR device, but that's about all the info you'll get from him. And if you turn out to be anything other than greatful, he'll push you off onto another doctor.

DO NOT RUSH INTO ADR WITHOUT EXTENSIVE TESTING. you will regret it 100%. I know I did.

First you need to see a physical therapist. I went to three different locations and only one had a clue, but they had some issues running their PT business. I suggest seeing Red Hawk Physical therapy and ask for the most experienced therapist. I forget her name, but she has a dance/choreography background. She can make a very good assessment and has had minor experience with ADR and fusion patients. Additionally make sure your physical therapist assistant is Wayne or Lucia. if you get anybody else you're wasting time and money. only those two know how to perform exercises excellently.

I've experienced horrible inadequacies in the SF medical system. From the spine doctor to the physical therapist. In my case I had adult onset scoliosis and I should've been ruled out for ADR. Instead zuchermann's lack interest in testing has now left me with bad facet degeration at multiple levels and my neck is killing me. This was not the case before surgery. If you have an S in your spine, ADR is not for you. This is something that can be seen in an xray or MRI.

If you have no major muscle imbalances and no adult onset scoliosis, then you're still a candidate. If you have any facet degeneration, you should'nt be a candidate. If someone says you are then you're chances of facet degeneration increase greatly post-op. And I have to tell you, no doctor really cares in your predicament because once the damage is done there's really not a whole lot they can do to help you except push pills on you or try revision surgery.

Find the best PT you can to assess your muscle imbalances. find which muscles are firing and which aren't. you're PT can deduce your range of motion and localize the issues you have. This can better assist you in determining whether you can be helped by ADR or whether you need a fusion.

whichever you decide, make sure you follow through with PT for one year post-op. Also if you're doctor dismisses you or doesn't contact your physical therapist then you need to find someone else. Surgery isn't a cure, it's a fix and the follow up is what cures you. For some it only takes 6 months, but for most of us it can take years.

sorry for the long winded response. I really regret my surgery as you can tell, but I can only blame myself. I had no idea of the condition of the american medical system and what a racket it turned into.