If Bill Belote could choose one spot to be in then it would be on his tennis courts. He’s played for all his life, and was part of the University of Florida men’s team during his time in college. But, two years later, after the back pain began and he was forced to retire from tennis courts came to stop. It was a transition from active to being unable to enjoy the activities that he enjoyed, like gardening, and obviously playing tennis. The sciatica pain spread through his legs, which caused an increase in impermanence.
Bill was aware that he needed to find relief. He went for images as well as an MRI at another hospital. There, the doctor told him that he’d require a long, complex procedure that would cause trauma to the back muscles, force the wearer to wear a back brace, and take months to recover. Bill wanted to seek an opinion from a different doctor, but was not certain where to take his next step; he wanted to ensure that there was a doctor that who he could believe in. At the same time that he was at an UF tennis game, and the match was played next to a close friend who was a student of Adam Polifka, MD, an associate professor at the UF Department of Neurosurgery. After hearing more about the Dr. Polifka and UF Health from his friend and then, it all was in place.
“All for the “Gators”
As a child within Jacksonville, Bill had been an avid Gator for the longest time his memory could allow. His mother was determined to give him all she could. While caring for and working Bill in the role of a single mother, she also earned her doctorate and master’s degrees in education. When he was a child playing in summer sports at the P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School, it was his chance to meet with a coach from his UF football team. He also had the chance to see matches from the benches starting at the age of 10 until when his high school graduation. He knew that UF was the place he wanted to for college and was certain he wanted to play football for the Gators and was successful in both.
Discovering UF Health
With his long-standing love and history with his beloved University of Florida, Bill knew that attending UF Health was the right decision for him. was unsure why he didn’t enroll at UF Health sooner. Following that fateful game of tennis, Bill sent his X-rays as well as other images for the doctor Dr. Polifka, who knew that the faster he completed surgery on Bill the higher the quality of his life was going to be.
Dr. Polifka’s treatment differed from the advice Bill had been told by the first doctor he visited. Doctor. Polifka used a minimally intensive lateral approach to minimize injury on his back muscles and to speed up the healing time. Bill wouldn’t even have the use of an back brace. In the spinal procedure the doctor. Polifka used a 3D titanium cage that was printed to relax the nerves that were squeezed by the sliding in the L4 vertebrae over the L5 vertebrae. He then joined both the L4 and L5 vertebrae.
After the operation, Bill felt instant relief — a moment that changed his life that he’ll never forget. He was aware that there would be recovery time however he knew that the first step was to being back to playing tennis and gardening. He was hospitalized for 3 days, 2 nights at hospital. During that period, he was grateful for the staff members residents, nurses, and other staff members who assisted him throughout his hospital stay.
“I cannot say thank you to the Dr. Polifka and his team enough for all they did for me. If someone has to undergo significant surgery they may experience fears and anxieties however, know that the skilled doctors in UF Health can fix your issues with the least amount of risk.”
With the help of Doctor. Polifka and UF Health, Bill is back doing his passions: playing tennis and working in his yard and leading a pain-free existence.
“As to me the Dr. Polifka is a miracle practitioner. He brought an extremely debilitating and painful life back into normal.”
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