General Practices Sydney, New South Wales

Procedure: C6/7 anterior discectomy and Left C7 radiculopathy (or in layman's terms damaged spinal disc resulting in spinal cord pressure) I first noticed my symptoms about 6+ years ago which included back pain, shoulder pain, tingling down my arm and numbness in my fingers on my left hand. Initially non-surgical treatment such as chiropractor visits and working on my core strength provided some limited relief but ultimately didn't diagnose the exact problem. Gradually my condition worsen and the pain became harder and harder to live. Finally my local GP referred me to Dr Curtis and although hesitant to go down the surgical path, as often happens with these problems they don't get better, only worst and surgery becomes the only viable option. When I finally had my surgery, I was in that much pain that everyday life was becoming impossible. An MRI scan revealed that in 6 months since my previous scan, my condition had worsen to just 5% narrowing (spinal stenosis). Dr Curtis was professional and comprehensive in all his explanations of my medical reports/scans and what they revealed about my condition and more importantly what the best treatment plan would be. He was confident that with the proposed treatment plan, my quality of life would be returned and I would be pain free - a confident based on numerous past client experiences. Dr Curtis was understanding and appreciative of my hesitancy with surgery, but Dr Curtis was confident that surgery was the only viable option available for myself with my condition. Dr Curtis was of course right, very right as it turns out when delays occurred (due to covid) and my condition worsen in a very short period of time. Dr Curtis and his staff were fantastic and supportive and scheduled my surgery immediately, then kindly re-scheduled it earlier after the pain became literally unbearable. Immediately after surgery I felt 100% better and pain free. I couldn't believe the amount of movement I had gained back, the absence of pain and tingling gone. Within 1 week my fingers on my left hand which I had lived with being numb for almost 2 years, finally had feeling back in them. After years living with this condition and the symptoms, I can honestly say it was the best decision ever to have the procedure and also to select Dr Curtis as my surgeon. All surgery comes with it's risks and post surgery recovery, but with Dr Curtis' skill and expertise I felt extremely confident that I was putting my health (and neck/spinal care) in the best of hands. Dr Curtis' bedside manner is kind and understanding, his post surgery recovery support is fantastic. What was initially a daunting experience has turned out to be almost easy and seamless. Dr Curtis' staff were professional and experienced with all the necessary hospital and other specialist bookings and paperwork, allowing me to just concentrate on getting myself healthy again. Post surgery, during my hospital stay, Dr Curtis was courteous and available and I never once got that rushed feeling. He was very present, attentive and assessed my post surgery health and well being. This review is written 6 weeks after my surgery and my first follow up appointment. Again, I can not believe the quality of life the procedure has given back to me. Although to be honest, with 5% narrowing my options were getting very limited, I still can not believe the difference. Dr Curtis schedules 6 monthly, yearly follow up appointments to monitor everything, again leaving you re-assured that your health is in the best of hands and that Dr Curtis truely wants the very best outcome for all his patients. I am so glad Dr Curtis was my surgeon and appreciative of all his pre and post surgery care. For anyone else who may (unfortunately) need a Neurosurgeon, from my experience, I wouldn't hesitate to 100% recommend Dr Curtis - you will be in very safe, professional, understanding hands.