John Leach, a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the United States Army, had exhausted efforts to alleviate back pain he had the past several years. After being told from a pain medicine physician in Rhode Island that epidural shots would no longer relieve his pain, John began to look for other options for relief.

“The pain had progressed in my lower back and was impacting my walking and quality of life,” John said.

After having an MRI and then discussing the situation with his daughter a registered surgery nurse who lives in Kansas City, he had his images reviewed by Frank Holladay, M.D., a board-certified neurosurgeon on the Medical Staff at Providence Medical Center.

“I was so impressed that Dr. Holladay took time out of his busy schedule to call me about my results,” said John. He told me that he could definitely help me and we discussed the options.”

After a October phone call, John was scheduled to see Dr. Holladay in November in Kansas City. His surgery was initially delayed because he contracted shingles. After recovering from shingles, John received his surgery in December. Within a few days he was walking without pain and didn’t have to rely on a cane, although he still uses it as extra precaution.

“Mr. Leach had severe pressure on the nerves in the lower back at several places primarily from arthritis,” said Dr. Holladay. “I performed a minimally invasive decompressive laminectomy which is designed to remove pressure off the nerves with minimal amount of disruption to the normal structures of his spine.”

He added, “He did very well and was able to be discharged from Providence the next day with very little pain.”

Providence has achieved Healthgrades 2020 America’s 250 Best Hospitals Award™. The distinction places Providencein the top 5 percent of more than 4,500 hospitals assessed nationwide for its superior clinical performance as measured by Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. In addition to the America’s 250 Best Hospitals Award, the Medical Center has also received Five-Star recognition in Spinal Fusion (14 years in a row).

For John, high quality care combined with professional, caring staff made all the difference in the world. He said,” Dr. Holladay is a true professional. While I didn’t know what to expect, the results exceeded all my expectations.”

He added, “The staff was attentive, friendly and very knowledgeable. I am very pleased with the service I received at Providence and am thankful I came here for my back surgery.”