The Doctors – Tram Accident Survivor Gets Spine Surgery

Imagine back pain so debilitating, six surgeries failed to provide any relief. That was the reality for Carol. Her pain seemed inescapable until an episode of The Doctors changed her life.

I was a producer working on a big set back in 1979. The tram came through my set. I thought he was going to stop. I didn’t see him until I was being rolled down the side of the truck. The accident left me with a broken pelvis and a serious hand injury. I had my first back surgery in 1980 and went on to have six more back surgeries.

Before the accident I was extremely active, and after the accident, because of the back pain, I couldn’t do most of those again. Since the accident, I haven’t been out of pain for the last 35 years. I tape The Doctors show every day, and one day the show was Beverly Rutherford, who had had surgery by Dr. Melamed. I related to it because she also had an accident, and then when she stood up and she was perfectly straight, I started crying.

Carol was one of the patients that contacted me because she had previous failed back surgery, and she came to me hoping that I can help her and make her straight. To do Carol’s operation, we had to go in, remove the previous hardware, break her spine, because once you break the spine, then it allows you to control and manipulate it to bring it back to the alignment you want. And you basically recreate the alignment that was appropriate for Carol.

Joining us now is orthopedic spine specialist Dr. Hooman Melamed. It’s been about five months since he performed Carol’s surgery, and without further ado, who wants to see how she’s feeling? Carol, come on out!

I’m watching you walk across that stage just like I know you saw Beverly do a few years ago. How does it feel?

Feels great, feels great. I can’t imagine, and even walking in heels, it’s amazing to me, because I haven’t walked in heels.

Is she gonna be able to get back on that ski outfit? She look pretty good.

If she wants, if you want, yeah. That just cleared to go skiing.

You know, we talk so much on this show about back surgery and surgery in general, but in no other area, I think, does the saying apply most, which is that saying we all know in surgery: a good surgeon knows when to cut, a great surgeon knows when not to. And a lot of times people have surgery and it doesn’t help.

The good news is that most patients don’t necessarily need back surgery.

I think most patients don’t need back surgery, and for whatever reason they end up with the back operation. Sometimes I have to talk to the patients out of getting a back surgery. I’m like, listen, you try it therapy, let’s try a little bit, trust me, let’s just see if it’s going to work or not. But then when they end up with surgery, well, you got to do the right operation for our patient. Whether it’s a small operation or it’s a big operation, it has to be the right operation for the patient.

Such great work.

Great work there. We’re so happy.