Being a mom is a job; being a mom of three active kids ranging from 5 to 15 is a feat of human determination. That might be a bit of an exaggeration but just ask Jennifer Schneider what kind of effort it takes. Between her three sons, she never stops moving. Elementary school, check; middle school, check; high school, check; playdates, sports, groceries, check, check, check. And that’s just a week.
Add in a part-time job as children’s music director at her church and you might wonder how she has any time to sleep, let alone have hobbies. But thankfully, Jennifer juggles it all with the help of her husband and still has enough time left over to join her fellow campers at Camp Gladiator for a spirited workout.
Although Jennifer was managing to get it all done, there was a challenge. Back and neck pain was little by little tugging away at her quality of life. Her pains slowly grew from minor discomfort to a constant struggle that was taking a toll.
Jennifer was pregnant with her third son at the age of 38 and that was when she first noticed the pain. “I started to experience some pretty significant neck and back pain at that time,” said Jennifer. After a safe delivery, Jennifer had a check-up which revealed she had a herniated disc.
The Complex Road to Recovery
After realizing this pain wouldn’t just go away on its own, Jennifer began searching for a solution. Chiropractors, physical therapists and pain management turned into alternative treatments like cryotherapy and acupuncture, but she was unable to find relief. “You name it, I did it,” she said. “I wanted to do everything I could do to avoid surgery. With three active boys, I just didn’t feel like I could afford any downtime.”
Jennifer gradually noticed pins-and-needles sensation and numbness in her left arm. This got progressively worse until she began to lose the majority of her grip strength. In the spring, she’d had enough; “I just knew that something more needed to be done”.
After a bit of research, Jennifer was referred to Dr. Ricky Kalra at Kalra Brain & Spine. Dr. Kalra suggested artificial disc replacement as the best solution to treat her symptoms, retain her range of motion and recover quickly.
Dr. Kalra’s goal is always to provide the most conservative treatments that yield the greatest benefit, ranging from physical therapy, medication, injection treatments and artificial cervical disc replacements.
Jennifer had surgery and quickly began to improve. She says it best herself; “It’s basically been a miracle, quite frankly. Within two days of the surgery, I realized how much I didn’t have use of my left arm prior to surgery because, after surgery, it was completely restored.” And within a week, the chronic nagging pain was gone. Just gone.
Within just a few more weeks, Jennifer was already training for a big team competition in November with her Camp Gladiator friends. “I’m so encouraged in physical therapy and I’m eager to see what I can do when I’m cleared to go back to working out at 100 percent,” she said.
Why Choose Kalra Brain & Spine
Jennifer recalls a very candid and compassionate conversation she had with Dr. Kalra, where she expressed her desire to be free of the pain medications she had become dependent on over the years. “He was very kind and compassionate and just understood where I was and what I was feeling about it,” she said. “There was no judgment, and he gave me great hope that I would be able to come off those meds very easily. He is helping me do that, and it really means more to me than anything else.”
Dr. Kalra’s goal is always to provide the most conservative treatments that yield the greatest benefit, ranging from physical therapy, medication, injection treatments and artificial cervical disc replacements.
To learn more about Dr. Kalra and various treatment options offered at Kalra Brain & Spine, visit www.kalrasurgery.com or make an appointment by calling 972-905-9226.
