Parents as Patients

One of the trends that I have observed over the past couple of weeks is how commonly we have talked about the incredible activities that our patients do inside and outside of the workplace. We always ask our patients what they do for a living and what hobbies/physical activities/sports they participate in. This really helps in the secondary aspects of forming what treatment plan to go with, because ultimately we want to get them back to that lifestyle with as few, if not any, restrictions at all. One of the things that we do ask but have not shared as often, is how our patients feel as parents, especially mothers, or grandparents as they are unable to care for their young ones when they are dealing with their spinal issues.

Just last week, Dr. Mesiwala performed a four-level disc replacement procedure on a young mother. She had presented to us with neck pain that had been ongoing for some time, and while the pain was something that she was trying to live with, the biggest hurdle was that she was unable to care for and play with her young infant child.

We have also spoken to a patient from the Pacific Northwest who was a former D1 athlete and now is a stay-at-home mom due to her husband’s very busy schedule who is trying to deal with her low back pain, caused by degenerative discs in the lumbar spine.

And lastly, we have often seen patients who had delivered their child and presented with SI joint dysfunction post-pregnancy.

This is something that we have heard a lot of patients say over the years. I can only imagine how defeating it must feel to not care for a child without continuously dealing with pain/dysfunction secondary to spine issues. Patients have varying degrees of neurological symptoms (pain, numbness/tingling, weakness, etc.), and these can readily impact the work they do; however, more often than not, it is the personal aspect of their life and how that is impacted due to the spinal conditions that prompt them to seek help and treatment. 

While we are not the ones experiencing these symptoms, our team can truly empathize that this is a profound lifestyle change and can definitely appreciate that this is a very reasonable expectation to be a mother and care for your children without constant pain. Dr. Mesiwala is able to readily diagnose and employ the appropriate treatment with the expectation to get mothers back to a lifestyle of taking care of their children without limitations due to spinal issues.