patient stories

Tom Silva

Tom Got His Retirement—And His Golf Game—Back!

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Tom Silva enjoyed his first year of retirement by traveling the world and perfecting his golf swing. But when his arthritis and back pain took a turn for the worse in 2019, he was told he had no options left. As he looked for help, recommendations for the Northern California Spine Institute came up over and over. At his first visit, Tom was told he could have an eight-level fusion on his spine with a laminectomy. The team was up-front that the recovery would be lengthy, but the surgery gave Tom his life back.

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After the operation in August 2019, Tom had to use a walker for about eight weeks. At the three-month mark, he started going to physical therapy twice a week. After six months, he was cleared to play golf again, and, now, at the 10-month mark, he’s back on the golf course three times a week! Before the surgery, Tom could only walk about a quarter-mile until his pain was too severe to continue. Now, only 10 months later, he walks two miles or more a day and has upcoming trips to Amsterdam, Budapest, Santiago, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand! Thanks to the team at Northern California Spine Institute, Tom is back to globetrotting all over the world!

“They gave me my retirement back,” Tom says. “Every single part of my experience was top-notch. From the day I met the team, I never had a second thought.”

Freedom from Spine Pain
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