Miguel Osio

Back to Surfing in the North Shore of Hawaii in Jan 2015 after a spine fusion (L5/S1) done by Dr. Patrick O'Leary of HSS on Jan 2014. I was diagnosed with spondylolisthesis/herniated disc about 15 years ago. After doing therapy and strengthening exercises for 15 years, I reached a point in which the spine injury was significantly affecting my quality of life and and passion for surfing. The L5/S1 one section of my spine was unstable and the herniated disc was affecting the nerves of my right leg and lower right back. I decided to have surgery; Dr. O'Leary never pushed or lead me to decide for surgery; he gave me choices. Even at the day of the surgery, he gave me the option to change my mind 15 minutes before going for it. I am glad I did it, since the situation of the disc was worse than what the MRI showed. The surgery lasted 5 hrs and had to stay at the hospital for 5 days. It was a tough decision but so far the progress is quite good and hope to be able to do other sports such as tennis and golf. I still have minor pain down my leg, but I expect to be pain free over the next 12 months. I would strongly recommend Dr. O’Leary and HSS to anyone who needs spine surgery. It is an outstanding organization.