Ed’s Laminectomy Patient Story

Posted on: May 28th, 2026 by Our Team

My Name is Ed. I live in South Carolina. I’m originally from New York City and am well familiar with HSS reputation for orthopedics and spine treatments expertise. Since retirement, quality of life is very important to me. I play golf, tennis and pickleball quite often. Plus wanting to be able to play with my grandchildren.

I was referred to Dr. Girardi by another HSS doctor who treated my shoulder. I started feeling pain in my legs about 6 months prior to meeting the doctor. I thought I was having hip issues, I was stiff and it was getting increasingly difficult to stand and even walk. My local doctor ordered an MRI and discovered a bone spur causing lumber stenosis at L5-s1.

I was very nervous about having spinal surgery and wanted to exhaust all non-surgical options first. My local doctor ordered an x-ray guided epidural steroidal injection (esi) in that area of my lumber spine. Relief was quite fast. But it only lasted for 3 weeks. I tried a second one, but it didn’t last either. That’s when I sought help from Dr Girardi in New York.

At this point my condition got so acute I could barely walk. We scheduled the surgery in October 2025 at HSS main campus in the upper eastside. By the time of the surgery, I needed a wheelchair to get into the hospital. The procedure was quick. The hospital staff was great and supportive as was Dr. Girardi’s team, who are very responsive.

By the time the anesthetic wore off, I was able to move my legs and walk around the hospital hallways without pain. Relief was immediate. In fact, this was so surprisingly painless, I didn’t need to take the pain meds when I left the hospital.

It felt like a miracle. After a few weeks I was able to walk, run, and play ball again. Even bending and lifting things was now doable without much pain. Thank you Dr. Girardi and team for giving me my life back.