Case 7

I cannot thank Dr. Burt and his expert team enough for the miracle they have performed on my spine. The MUA was so successful I do not need painkillers anymore and I feel like I have a new body, a new lease on life!

As a flight attendant of ten years, I have worked in many a cramped quarters, under time restrictions, with minimum crew, many turbulent conditions, and many interesting passengers. As glamorous as the job seems, it puts an awful lot of strain on the body, both physically and emotionally.

At the time of my injury (07/01/01), I was working a full flight with two other crew members. Our instructions were to provide a full beverage service followed by a meal/beverage service to 138 passengers within a total flight time of approximately three hours (from take off to touch down). My position required that I work both meal and beverage carts, which meant that I was doing quite a bit of bending, squatting, reaching, standing, and twisting. It was during one of these 'pivots' from cart to cart that I felt a sharp pain shooting through my leg, followed by severe low back pains.

The MRI showed that I had a torn meniscus in my left knee and degenerative discs in my lower spine, combined with pinched nerves. In 09/01 I had arthroscopic surgery on my knee, and in each of the next two months had lumbar steroid injections. Unfortunately, trying to do physical therapy for my knee was still very difficult as my back was not any better. Despite the discogram and CT scan results, I could not get myself to agree to the very invasive spinal fusion surgery. Instead, much to my surgeon's dismay, I requested a holistic remedy for my condition; i.e. chiropractic care and acupuncture.

After nearly four months of holistic treatment, I returned to the orthopedic surgeon (in 04/02) with good news: I was feeling much better, 'virtually' pain-free, felt spinal surgery was not necessary, but my knee was still bothering me. His immediate reaction was to release me to light duty, at a rate of forty hours per week starting the following week! Furthermore, I was told that my knee problems should be directed to the original surgeon. Needless to say, he said physical therapy was the only cure and if the spine doctor says I can return to work, he will have to release me too! Shocked as I was, I felt I had no choice, and set my hours with my employer located forty miles one-way at the airport! Unfortunately, three days was all my body could tolerate. The fourth morning was very devastating. I was stiff as a board and in agonizing pain; I was in worse shape than when I initially injured myself! To make matters worse, the doctor could only say, "Now are you ready for surgery?" Appalled, I named my chiropractor at the time, my primary physician; but as if to add insult to injury, he sold his business and I was left to search for a new doctor.