Skip Funt had certain members of the medical community scratching their heads. He wasn’t your typical case.
Over a period of ten years, a number of doctors had treated the energetic, now-72-year-old from Midtown Manhattan for chronic pain in his right hip. The therapies they offered weren’t just ineffective . . . according to Skip, they provided “no results.”
Try as they might, his stubborn hip pain persisted.
In 2014, Skip booked an appointment with Charla Fischer, MD, hopeful that she might have the answer to his distressing medical mystery. A consummate spine surgeon, Dr. Fischer solved the case without need for much detective work.
On the first office visit, she “noticed something on my x-rays,” said Skip. An MRI confirmed her suspicion that Skip’s pain wasn’t originating from his hip. He was actually suffering from a lower back problem.
Spine injuries typically cause neck or back pain – but not always. The spinal nerves are complex, far-reaching throughout the body, and delicate. A small percentage of patients with pinched or injured spinal nerve fibers will perceive their pain as originating in the hip area. Herniated discs and sciatica are among the most common spine disorders to cause referred hip pain.
Skip’s discomfort stemmed from problems with his L5 and S1 vertebra. After discussing the available treatment options, he and Dr. Fischer decided that surgery was the best course of action.
“[She] did a nice job in getting me back to normal again,” said Skip “I’m able to do so many things that used to cause me pain.”
He also credits our physical therapists for his amazing recovery. They were “great in working with me before and after my surgery in 2014 and that helped me get back to normal quicker,” he said.
Now that Skip’s not “limping around a lot,” he’s embracing a more active lifestyle. He hits the gym regularly, practicing not only the routines he learned in physical therapy, but engaging in exercises that he couldn’t do before his surgery.
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