As an elementary physical education teacher and mother of young boys, Julie Walker suffered from lower back and leg pain so severe that she had difficulty performing even the most basic daily activities, not to mention running after several young children. She experienced numbness in both her legs, started to develop a limp and at times she could neither sit nor walk. Julie consulted with Dr. Rey Bosita who diagnosed her with a flattened L5-S1 disc. As Julie was 39 and considered young to have a fusion, Dr. Bosita wanted to first explore less invasive options, as Texas Back Institute does for all patients. She had two lumbar epidurals and immediately began physical therapy. When these treatments did not cure Julie’s pain, however, Dr. Bosita decided that a lumbar fusion was the best option. While Julie had no hesitations about the actual surgery itself, her only fear was that she would not respond 100%. Her fears were subsided, however, as she calls the surgery a huge success and was able to walk a mile after only a week in recovery. Described as “by far the most peaceful and worry-free surgery” with Dr. Bosita, who she raves “has the most unusual and beautiful combination of being skillful and compassionate,” Julie’s only regret was not visiting Texas Back Institute sooner. Her advice to people debating whether or not to seek medical help for back issues is simply not to wait because Texas Back Institute explores every option before surgery, so the sooner you get help, the more options you have available. With the help of post-surgery care and physical therapy, Julie is back to chasing after her elementary school students as well as getting out with her own family to go hiking, fishing and walking again. “When I think about how disabled I had become, and how in a matter of months I was ‘fixed’ I kick myself for waiting so long to have gone to see Dr. Bosita,” Julie said. “I will forever hold a very special place in my heart for him, and all of the staff at Texas Back Institute, for the life-changing surgery and care I received from the very first minute I arrived.”
