A controversial topic has been dominating headlines recently, and is an important issue that I’d like to discuss. It’s the phenomenon known as the “July Effect” – the notion that being admitted to a teaching hospital in July, the month in which medical students begin residency, will increase the risk of poor patient care and medical errors. With this uptick in concern, numerous articles have been published about the topic and rightfully disprove the claim, including research from The Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine and The Mayo Clinic. In my opinion, the July Effect is absolutely false. The Journal of Neurosurgery: …

It started about seven years ago. I had lower back pain and all of that, but I was always pretty active, so I didn’t pay much attention to it. I didn’t really think it was anything serious. When my son was home from military duty he said to me, “you know mom, you’re getting crooked.” It was two years later that I had my back X-rayed. They told me I had a curve—25 degrees at that time. I went to physical therapy and that helped for a while. It was the physical therapist who said it will either hold or …

In 2002, when I was in my early 50s, I had my first lumbar surgery. After that I was pain-free for 3 years or so. I had done the rehab as I was instructed and after eight months was told I could return to the gym. My original lumbar surgery was performed by a top- rated specialist at a world-class orthopedics hospital. The results were quite poor and degraded over time. They included a fusion failure at L5/S1, which I did not discover for several years. After the three years the pain returned and got worse and worse until I …

I knew for a long time that I had a mild scoliosis in my lumbar region, but I never had any symptoms. I was active. I did a lot of weight lifting, played rugby. About nine years ago I started having a little bit of pain. It wasn’t just acute, it was also chronic. I had it every day. The first surgeon I met with said I had the back of a 60 year old and tried to blame me for my condition. He was of no help and said he couldn’t do anything. Went to another back surgeon and …

I always considered myself a young man. I was physically active. I liked to run with young guys—full court basketball—the whole nine yards. I had persistent back problems. My back would “go out” every couple of months. I just thought it was the aging process. The last time that I had it, it wouldn’t really go away. My primary care doctor knew Dr. McCance and recommended that I see him. I went to Dr. McCance and had a full set of tests. He said it was a congenital issue—the structuring of my spine. One of the lower vertebrae slipped forward …

I had continuous pain for two years. It started in my buttock and radiated down my left leg to my foot. At first it was bearable, but after a year it became so severe that I started looking for a doctor to help me. At first I tried sports medicine doctors, and then I tried orthopedic surgeons. But I could never get a clear diagnosis. Denise // Age: 62 Condition // Scoliosis/Spinal Stenosis Occupation // Retired (Puerto Rico) Why did you choose Dr. McCance for your spine surgery? Dr. McCance was very thorough. He was clear. He’s very thorough. He …

In 1982 I injured my neck in an accident. The pain would come and go and I’d see a chiropractor once in awhile. Then, I was moving my daughter into college and I tried to move a refrigerator—and something happened. The pain was constant and so bad that I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t even move my head. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to drive again. I went to a neurologist who ordered an MRI. Then he referred me to a local spine surgeon. I went to see him and he explained what needed to be done. He was …