Ed Stewart and his wife of 61 years, Jean, boating on Discovery Bay. Ed built the 38-foot lighthouse six years ago and then donated it to the Town of Discovery Bay. In August 2017, after completing a Speedboat Poker Run, Ed Stewart was getting out of his speedboat when he realized he could [...]
At only 13-years of age, Owen DeLaCastro had been suffering for many years from a worsening spinal deformity, termed “Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis” (AIS). Owen was having increasing trouble walking long distances and he was unable to run or exercise due to chronic back pain. His overall health was declining and his scoliosis was beginning to [...]
Dear Dr. Janssen and The Center for Spine & Orthopedics, How can I begin to thank you for giving me my life back? I endured five months of excruciating non-stop neck pain from one ruptured disk next to another severely herniated disk. I couldn't hold my neck up. I can now empathize with people in [...]
Donna earned her "stronger for it" shirt for attending 150 Jazzercise classes in 2017. At age 14, Donna Spearman had a stainless steel Harrington rod implanted along her spinal column to treat scoliosis. At that time, her spine’s 60 degree curvature was progressing rapidly. During the procedure, a major portion of her spine [...]
Dave and Kim Charlebois visit Dave’s spine surgeon, Dr. Mike Janssen, on December 7, the day after Dave’s surgery for a herniated disc. Dave was walking the same day of surgery and pain-free by the next morning. Last January, while clearing the snow from his roof, Dave Charlebois was learning on a ladder [...]
(L) Before surgery, the curvature in Madilynn Gore’s spine was 50 degrees. (R) Post surgery, x-rays showed that the curve was reduced by nearly 100 percent. Madilynn Gore was 12 years old when she first noticed that her left rib was elevated when she laid flat on her back. She went to see [...]
(L) Mike McDonald with climbing legend, Gary Scott, at the base of Mt. Everest. Scott led McDonald’s group to Everest, the world’s tallest peak. Colorado outdoorsman, Mike McDonald, was ice climbing in Colorado Springs to prepare for an ascent of Mt. Everest in fall 2002 when his crampon loosened, causing him to slip. [...]
(R) Spine surgeon Dr. Michael Janssen visits patient Greg Newell, owner of Bridgeview Marina in Osage Beach, Missouri, seven months after Newell’s Total Disc Replacement (TDR) surgery performed by Dr. Janssen. Newell was walking and eating the same day after his TDR surgery last December just before Christmas and was able to participate in [...]
A couple years ago, Cullen Lane began having muscle spasms, extending from his right and left hips down his legs to his feet.
Amanda Gonyea and her husband share a passion for sword fighting, a sport she had to give up for awhile due to back pain. In fact, Gonyea needed her husband’s help to tie her shoes and could not walk more than 20 feet without pain. Since surgery, though, she is really active again and [...]