Conditions + Treatments
Spine Fusion
Spine Injury/Condition
Hello, my name is James Sherman. I am a retired Marine. I grew up in LaGrange, Georgia (go Georgia Bulldogs!) and went to LaGrange High School. Right out of high school, I joined the United States Marine Corps and served from 2005-2009. My third year in the Marines, I was in charge of a renovation project which involved moving heavy equipment. While lifting a piece of equipment, I severely injured my back.
I went to the VA four times and was given a misdiagnosis of a back sprain each time. I dealt with the pain daily, making even the smallest tasks difficult and incredibly painful. It got to the point where I threw out my back 2-3 times a month. I started seeing a chiropractor, and they recommended that I see Dr. Andrew Cordover, an orthopaedic spine specialist at The Spine Center at Andrews Sports Medicine.
Going to see Dr. Cordover was the best decision. He was extremely professional yet down to earth and easy to talk to. He explained that my L5 to S1 disc vertebrae protruded and shifted. No wonder I was in so much pain! Dr. Cordover discussed the risks and assured me and my wife that we had nothing to worry about and that surgical intervention was my best option. He explained the entire process very thoroughly with us and answered any questions or concerns we had. I had complete trust in him and underwent lumbar fusion surgery with Dr. Cordover on August 8, 2022.
In the days following surgery, I immediately had significantly less back pain. Dr. Cordover recommended my physical therapy was to walk around slowly and not sit for too long, which I did. I slowly got back to work as a car mechanic, and now, coming up on a year since surgery, I feel like a million bucks! I am on my feet all day and experience no pain now.
My experience at Andrews Sports Medicine was life-changing. I tell everyone at work or customers complaining of back problems to consider seeing Dr. Cordover. He is the best at what he does, and if he can’t help you, he will refer you to someone who can because he cares about his patients. I cannot recommend Andrews Sports Medicine and Dr. Cordover enough. If you are having any back pain, Dr. Cordover is your guy!
