Degenerative Disc Disease

By the time I got to see Dr. Andrew Cordover, I had already been to 3 or 4 other doctors who all either misdiagnosed me or did not offer any help or solutions to my back pain.

I suffered with chronic back pain for nearly 20 years. I served a number of years in the U.S. Army, and when I left the military I went to work for the railroad. 

My typical workday includes driving 2 hours to and from work, and spending 13+ hours sitting while I perform my job at the railroad. So altogether, I spend close to 17 hours every day just sitting. Over time my back pain went from being an irritation to very painful and debilitating. 

I am a LONG TIME Dr. Steven R. Nichols patient. I tell people that he is next to God because he has basically repaired my whole body. I trust him with my life.

In 2005, I started experiencing back pain that affected me on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. I continued to pass it off as the natural aging process and never sought medical treatment.

I am a 44 year-old, long-time team member of Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center, recently celebrating 21 years with the practice. Over the years, I have remained physically active, working out and training consistently 3-4 days per week, most recently in the Les Mills fitness program. While I’ve remained relatively healthy over the years, I have had minor injuries that have been evaluated and treated by our Andrews Sports Medicine team. Fortunately, most all of these injuries were able to be treated through non-surgical, conservative treatments. 

Dr. Andrew Cordover is the best spine surgeon around! For nearly 16 years, I had severe pain daily and for 12 years I walked with a cane. Dr. Cordover operated on my neck in April, 2015. He relieved pressure caused by a disc pressing on my spine, fixed an old plate that I had knocked crooked, and installed a new plate. The pain I had for 16 years is now gone. Thank you Dr. Cordover for giving me my life back!