Hello everyone,

I am 7.5 Months post 3-level Motion Preservation Surgery with Dr. Bertagnoli and I could not possibly be more pleased. I was in Germany for a month, 10 days of which was in the hospital. I had a fantastic experience from beginning to end. The first 4 days were pretty rough I have to admit, but I would gladly go through it again to get to where I am at now. From what some of the others who have been through this have said, I should get even better over the next year.

My surgery was 11 hours from going in to ICU. Dr. B went in through my back and placed the 3 level Motion Preservation hardware with motion couplers to straighten my lower lumbar. I had slight scoliosis and rotation. He then turned me over, and through the front put 3 Pro Disks in at L2-3, L3-4, L4-5. Hospital staff was great, very clean hospital in Bogen and of course I had the best surgeon in the world. Dr. B is exceptionally confident yet also very humble and kind. I had opinions and pricing from other Dr.’s in Germany and Spain. Dr. B was not the cheapest by any means. If there is anyway you can afford him, it will be one of the best decisions you ever made.

After the rough first 4 days things started getting better quickly. Most pain subsided after the first 2 or 3 weeks then it was just a matter of gaining mobility and alleviating stiffness. After the first few months I thought, well the pain is gone but I still have extreme stiffness. That very slowly got better and at 6 months had almost completely resolved. The tiny amount of stiffness remaining, I attribute to being 56 years old and the other parts of my back not involved with the surgery, just having normal wear and tear.

Harrison was great and his council was invaluable. Doug and Magic, who essentially had the same surgery as me, were beyond gracious and helpful answering my constant barrage of guestions. Thank you both for giving me the courage to make the best decision of my life. It takes a great deal of courage, resolve and money to fix what I had. Dr. B gave me my life back and I cannot thank him enough. God bless he and his entire team and program. Tim V thank you for your help and council as well. I will be happy to visit with anyone who is facing this decision. Like Doug and Magic told me, they helped me because others helped them. The way I thank Dr. B and the others that helped me is to offer the same to others.

-David.