Kathy Steinberg, Testimonial
Kathy Steinberg, a Western Colorado native, has relied on Dr. Brian Seigel for the last twenty years to help her “steer her path” negotiating back pain, which at times, has been debilitating.
Kathy was hitting her stride in her mid-twenties. She was dedicated to her job in finance and was as fit as she had ever been, running 8 miles a day, along with regular cycling, Pilates, and weight workouts. Then, in 1985 she was sidelined by a horrific car wreck. She was a passenger in a vehicle going far too fast around a sharp curve. It flew off the road and flipped three times end over end. Miraculously, Kathy walked away from the wreck feeling she had escaped disaster. She was bruised, had a broken nose, and could hardly walk, but hopeful that she would heal quickly and move on. But nine months later serious symptoms began to appear. CT scans indicated the impact of the crash had compromised her spine in both the cervical and lumbar areas. Pain manifested itself through sciatica that ran from her foot to her neck and shoulder blades. It’s obvious now that her level of fitness had masked the issues. But she could function, so she “got used to sucking up the pain” she says.
Over the next year, looking to find relief from her pain, she saw three different spine doctors. The first two saw surgery as the only course, but Kathy did not want to take that risk at such a young age. Finally, she found a specialist who promoted fitness over surgery. He advised her to change her activities. She quit running and avoided all activities that caused any spine compression.
Kathy found a balance between fitness and pain which she could live with, until she gave birth to her daughter at 40 years old. Labor and childbirth caused her to lose her pelvic floor and broke her tailbone. Unable to walk, she succumbed to her first of five surgeries in 2001. It did not go well and resulted in a herniated disc and then an infection.
It was at that point that Kathy met Dr. Brian Seigel. She would eventually go through more surgeries, but with the advice and non-surgical treatments recommended by Dr. Seigel, including epidural steroid injections, Kathy regained the strength she needed to raise her daughter, work and live life as fully as possible. When Dr. Seigel advised her that additional surgeries were inevitable, he helped her gain the physical strength and the mental fortitude to prepare and recover.
Kathy continues to work with Dr Seigel on a holistic approach with diet, exercise, rest and non-surgical treatments. She maintains a highly active lifestyle and a successful 30+ year real estate career. “I’ll continue to see Dr. Seigel for as long as he continues to practice. I can honestly say I would not be the functioning person I am today without his knowledge and concern for me as a whole person,” Kathy stated. “Dr Seigel is a true hero in my book!”