For seven years, David Erkin lived with back pain that disabled his life. Simple tasks that used to require almost no effort were now obstacles for David. Just bending over to lift an object became a struggle for him. David knew something needed to be done when he went from living a very active lifestyle to only being able to stand for 5-10 minutes at a time. Finally, in 1998, David traveled from McAlester, Oklahoma, to visit the Texas Back Institute.

David was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease at the age of 29 and immediately began physical therapy along with anti-inflammatory and steroid shots. Nothing eased his pain. After exploring every other alternative, David decided it was time to consider surgery.

On January 31, 2006, Dr. Blumenthal performed a Charité artificial disk replacement on David. “I was scared to have surgery and make things worse, or even become

permanently disabled,” he said. His surgery was a success, and in 24 hours he was on his way back to Oklahoma.

It has been two years since David had his surgery, and he continues to grow stronger each day that passes. Incredibly, some days he forgets he ever had surgery, or even back problems for that matter. “My recovery was nothing short of a miracle, to me at least. After living essentially disabled for so many years, Dr. Blumenthal gave me my life back!” he said. “I now live completely unrestricted with a very active lifestyle — 100% pain-free.”

David has no reservations in recommending Dr. Blumenthal, Texas Back Institute or the Charité disk. As he says, “I’m living proof that it works.”