Testimonial – Matthew Long – Revision of a Failed Back Surgery

I had a car accident way back in 1998. I’ve had multiple surgeries. On my 4th surgery, they went in to fuse the L4/L5 area of my back. That wound up to be a failed surgery. And they went in a fifth time, and had to pull out a bunch of the hardware that they put in.

After that, I could hardly stand. My right leg was numb, had absolute foot drop, I could hardly walk without tripping. And I definitely could not even sit at the table and eat a full meal. I’d take about two to five minutes at the most, then I would have to go and lay back down. Tons of pain medicine just wasn’t helping.

I went to a pain management doctor, and I got hold of Dr. Melamed. He went in and did a revision surgery. He cleaned up and pulled out whatever hardware was left, fused my L4/L5, started a bone fusion, and put rods and screws in. It was a very successful surgery.

It’s been a little over a year. I’ve been able to go to the gym and do minor workouts at least two to three times a week. I’ve been able to take a vacation, and take a three-mile hike with my wife. I’ve been able to go on walks. I’ve been able to sit and drive for lengthy periods of time. I don’t have as much medicine than I was taking to control pain.

I still have pain, and I probably always will. But the difference between the pain I was having and what I have now is “night and day.” And I would absolutely recommend Dr. Melamed. I’ve actually referred quite a few people to him. And he’s just been a miracle worker.