Bernie Pronschinske fractured three vertebrae in his neck in a work-related accident. He was taken to the ER where an MRI revealed the fractures. Fortunately Dr. Thapar was in the hospital at the time.
“I can distinctly remember him coming into the emergency room and saying, ‘Bernie, you’ve got one option. You’re going to surgery right now. You’re too critical to move,’ recalls Bernie.
Dr. Thapar and his team carried out extensive surgery to repair the front part of the neck vertebrae and then restructured and fused the vertebrae from the rear of the neck. Bernie was hospitalized for 12 days and then was discharged with an upper body brace with a collar.
He recalls, “I had very little pain during my recovery. The surgery was on 3 July and I was back to work in mid October with full range of motion.” The only limitation was on how much I could lift. Two weeks later Dr. Thapar removed that limitation too. So I was completely back to normal with no pain in October. Dr. Thapar did an excellent job. He is very personable and we developed a personal bond during the treatment. I just have the highest regard for him.”
