Allison Wednt

As both a fire fighter and triathlon competitor, Allison Wednt found her joy in maintaining a very active lifestyle both at work and at play. Determined to not let her chronic back pain prevent her from doing what she loved, she sought treatment from Dr. William Fitz, physiatrist at the Ohio Spine Institute at The Ohio Orthopedic Center of Excellence. Several rounds of conservative treatment including lumbar epidural steroid injections afforded Allison enough relief for a couple years to continue in both work and her strenuous athletic schedule. Unfortunately as time went on, conservative efforts to treat the back pain became increasingly unsuccessful.

Taking on her own personal research along with many surgeons and specialists who advised her that her fire-fighting and triathlon days were over, Allison became more convinced than ever that there had to be another option than simply giving up on her life. Allison sought out Dr. Milan Herceg, spine surgeon of The Ohio Spine Institute at The Ohio Orthopedic Center of Excellence. “Dr. Herceg was the first surgeon who understood t he importance of my lifestyle where others simply frowned at me,” remarks Allison. Dr. Herceg discussed a procedure called a “Discectomy” which is the surgical removal of herniated disc material that presses on a nerve root or the spinal cord, the goal of which is to reduce or eliminate the resulting back pain. Allison explains that while she wanted to do whatever it took to get her back to her life, she also understood the risks of any surgery. After doing her own research, getting second opinions, and creating her own list of “pros versus cons”, Allison decided that the potential benefits outweighed the risks, and she opted for the surgery.

Today, Allison has returned to work as a firefighter and has even completed two iron man competitions. “Dr. Herceg gave me my life back, and I would recommend him to anyone,” exclaims Allison. “I was in pain for so long, I still wake up in the morning expecting it to be there, but I get out of bed every day and find that it is still gone!”