Nat Turner

After suffering from severe stenosis and multiple herniated discs, I was in a lot of pain. I tried improving my condition through physical therapy, as well as multiple cortisone injections. I reached a point where I could not sit down or stand up without experiencing incredible pain. I realized that I couldn’t live that way and that’s when I met with Dr. Cammisa.

After his initial evaluation, including an MRI, he recommended surgery as the best option, and I decided to proceed. Dr. Cammisa performed a laminectomy and two microdiscectomies. After the procedure, I woke up with no pain and felt immediate relief.

I now feel better than what I could have ever hoped for before surgery. The entire staff at SpineCare of NY and HSS was not only professional and friendly, but also very sympathetic to my pain. Dr. Cammisa took his time to explain everything to me and lay out my options – I never felt rushed.

After I developed a herniated disc from a gym injury in 2012, I experienced pain in the days following regular physical activities. It then got to a point where I could no longer enjoy golf, weightlifting, basketball or even picking up my children without having to spend multiple days recovering from the pain. I addressed this discomfort with a previous doctor and dedicated many hours to physical therapy, but I was not getting any better.

In March of 2021, I started to experience sciatic pain and while simply walking to lunch after playing golf in September, I sneezed and was instantly in excruciating pain. That Monday, I decided enough was enough, and I made an appointment to see Dr. Cammisa. He was calm and very matter-of-fact about my condition which helped me feel at ease. Instead of immediately suggesting surgery, he developed an entire treatment plan that involved cortisone shots to see if that would improve my condition. Eventually, it became evident that surgery was the best option for me.

Before surgery, Dr. Cammisa explained my entire procedure in a way that was easy to follow. Dr. Cammisa and his staff continuously checked in on me throughout the entire process and made sure I knew exactly what was going on.

After Dr. Cammisa performed my microdiscectomy, I woke up completely pain-free. After five months of physical therapy, I played my first full 18 holes on the golf course. I can even play basketball again without pain in my back and legs. I couldn’t feel more satisfied with my decision to have Dr. Cammisa as my doctor – this surgery turned my life around. My biggest regret is not doing the surgery earlier, once you’re at a certain point of pain, you don’t just get better.

For anyone experiencing life-altering pain, I would suggest finding a surgeon like Dr. Cammisa, who makes it easy to weigh all options and find the best approach to return to a life without pain.