John Dobson

My name is John Dobson. I am 51 years old and have had a back problem since my early thirties. I was diagnosed with spondilolisthesis in the mid 1980’s after falling over regularly while playing football. I was told to stop playing sport that involved running and to control the symptoms with gentle exercise, swimming , pain killers and anti inflammatory drugs. Surgery was a tricky option at the time and involved many months in plaster afterwards. I chose not to have surgery. I managed this for 10 years.

Eventually things got to the point where I lost the feeling in my legs regularly and I couldn’t work for more than half a day at a time. Mr Krishna threw me a lifeline. After seeing him he explained that surgery had moved on and that he could repair the problem. I had surgery in 1996 where the team basically put my vertebrae back in line and screwed them together with titanium plates with a few bone grafts for good measure. Mr Krishna had me up and walking within 12 hours of surgery. I was able to return to full time work and although I still didn’t run, I could play with my children and play golf. I felt as if I had my life back.

Unfortunately I had some nerve damage from the years I had waited for surgery, not from the surgery itself. And over 5 years I experienced some left leg problems. Mr Krishna and the team decided to remove the disc they had left in place and fuse the space with my own bone.

I had surgery again in 2004 where everything went to plan. I woke up after surgery and immediately noticed an improvement in my symptoms. I am now back at work again, still playing golf and looking forward to working and retiring in pretty good health.

Mr Krishna informed me that today they do both of the operations I had at the same time because they have learned that this is more successful. Still I didn’t mind being involved , although unconsciously, in pioneering surgery.

I would recommend the surgery option to anyone it is suitable for. It has certainly improved the quality of my life.

Surgery is a little scary. Mr Krishna and his team pull no punches when explaining the risks. However I decided that if I wanted a better quality of life then it was risk I was prepared to take. I have taken this option twice now, hopefully for new patients it will only be once. I have no regrets whatsoever.

Please feel free to contact me to ask any questions. My e mail is Dobsonsci@ntlworld.com