Brandon’s Story
Back surgery at the age of 23? This was the dilemma Brandon Ericksen lived with every day. A nagging injury from high school continued to plague him into adulthood, especially since he works in beverage distribution and moves cases of beverages by hand from pallets to grocery store shelves.
“The day finally came when I just couldn’t stand the pain anymore,” he said. Brandon was in so much pain he had to give up going to the gym, something he has enjoyed most of his life. “When I would get home from work, I would take a nap just so I could get through the rest of the day. But it got to where every day, I was waking up in excruciating pain.”
When the back pain began to creep down into his legs as well, Brandon was finally ready to take the next step toward getting out of pain for good. With some research, he found himself in the office of Kalra Brain & Spine. Dr. Ricky Kalra spent extensive time with Brandon, hearing about his journey and studying his imaging results.
He suggested a 360-degree lumbar fusion, also known as an Anterior/Posterior Lumbar Fusion. “My thought was always ‘Anything but surgery!’ and ‘Surgery should be the last resort,’ but after talking to Dr. Kalra, I was actually looking forward to it,” Brandon admitted.
“I was nervous, no doubt, but Dr. Kalra felt so confident that after surgery, I would be able to get back to my favorite parts of life. I’m so glad I trusted him.”
Dr. Kalra does subscribe to the philosophy that surgery should be the last resort; only considered when all other modalities have failed to bring the needed relief. In Brandon’s case, he felt today’s advanced back surgery techniques would give him the best hope of living a life free from debilitating back and leg pain.
Today, Brandon is walking out his three-month recovery from surgery. He is back to work a few days a week, is back at the gym working on regaining strength and is feeling better than he has in years. “I’m playing basketball again, I’m swimming,” said Brandon. “I just walk around with a smile on my face.”
Brandon feels so grateful to Dr. Kalra and his team at Kalra Brain & Spine. “If anyone ever asked me about Dr. Kalra, I would only say good things about him,” he said. “All I can say is if you get to the point where you can’t take the pain anymore, go find help. Your life will be a lot better.”
New Hope for Neck and Back Pain
When world-class training meets hometown values deeply rooted in family and community, the result is the kind of medical care you’ve always hoped for. This describes Kalra Brain & Spine, the practice of Dr. Ricky Kalra, who specializes in the most up-to-date evidence-based neurological care. If you’re living with chronic neck or back pain and don’t know where to turn, schedule a consultation with Dr. Kalra today.
I was nervous about surgery, no doubt, but Dr. Kalra felt so confident that I would be able to get back to my favorite parts of life. He was right. I’m back at the gym, playing basketball and swimming. I just walk around with a smile on my face these days. I am so grateful to the entire Kalra Brain & Spine team. I have my life back!