Your Healthcare Connection: Jessica Matriotti’s Journey to a Pain Free Life

320 Shares

 

By Kate Scriven

olympia spine surgeon
Jessica Matriotti smiles for the camera just six days before her surgery to correct her severe Kyphotic spinal curve, easily seen in the photo.

It’s a refrain heard by many of us throughout childhood from teachers, parents and grandparents – “sit up straight in your chair.” But for Jessica Matriotti, try as she might, she could not “sit up straight.”

Starting at a young age, Matriotti and her family noticed she had a larger than normal curvature to her spine, most noticeably in her upper back.  Despite repeated doctor’s visits, her parents were told time and again that Matriotti just needed to sit up straighter.  She simply couldn’t.  Her spine would not allow it.  All x-rays taken when she was young were done lying down, making the abnormal curvature unnoticeable and therefore dismissed by her physicians.

Around middle school, the Olympia native began to notice intermittent pain in her back.  It wasn’t constant and seemed tolerable.  As the years progressed, Matriotti’s pain increased, as did the abnormal forward posture of her spine.  After graduation from Olympia High School in 2004, the pain was so constant she’d take breaks from her desk at work to lie on the floor, straightening her spine as much as she could, releasing the pressure.   “By the end of the day, I was always in a lot of pain, and I finally just couldn’t put up with it anymore,” shares Matriotti.

After many years of undiagnosed pain, she wasn’t hopeful for a diagnosis, let alone a cure, for her chronic back pain and increasing spinal curvature.  Matriotti had been through physical therapy and pain management with Dr. Zachary Abbott at Olympia Orthopaedics Associates and despite their best efforts, the results weren’t lasting.

“It was around the time that I was getting married that I talked with a friend who had recently had surgery with Dr. Clyde Carpenter at Olympia Orthopaedics.  I told her ‘I’d love to look normal for my wedding.’  I had my primary care doctor refer me to Dr. Abbott,” explained Matriotti.  Ultimately, she visited Oly Ortho again in September 2012 when the physical therapy wasn’t providing any more benefits.  “I knew surgery was the next option and decided to it,” she said.

oly ortho
Jessica Matriotti’s spinal curve began when she was in elementary school and increased in severity through the years.

Matriotti was referred to Dr. Andrew Manista in the Olympia Orthopaedics Associates Spine Center.   “I was finally diagnosed with Scheuermann Kyphosis.  Everyone has a kyphotic curve [the outward rounding of the upper back below the neck] up to 40 degrees.  Mine was at a 94 degree curve.  Anything over 70 is considered very serious,” Matriotti explains.  Dr. Manista was able to further educate Matriotti that the condition is genetic and after talking with her mom, she discovered many extended family members also suffered from forms of Kyphosis.

“It was a relief to hear a true diagnosis after so many years of being told to just sit up straight,” Matriotti shares.  Not only was it a relief, but Dr. Manista’s willingness to answer her questions, educating her about the condition, was something new and appreciated. “It was nice to have a doctor that actually had the patience to sit with you and to know that he’s willing to answer anything before going into surgery,” said Matriotti.

“I felt comfortable right from the beginning and wasn’t scared at all,” added Matriotti.  “In fact, I was really excited knowing that Dr. Manista had a plan and knew he could help me.”

Surgery was scheduled for November 28, 2012 and was performed at Capital Medical Center.  Matriotti was hospitalized for six days post-surgery where Dr. Manista and his Physician’s Assistant Omar Gonzalez visited several times to check on her pain and recovery.

The surgery entailed a 19-inch long incision down her spine, two rods placed on the sides of her spine and 26 screws to secure them.  Her back had to be broken during surgery in eight places where the vertebrae had fused over the years, and realigned in their new, straight position and then fused from the T2 to L3 vertebrae.  The surgery took five to six hours and after, for the first time, Matriotti could truly “sit up straight”.

oly ortho
Dr. Andrew Manista placed 26 screws and 2 rods into Matriotti’s back, giving her perfect posture and taking away her lifelong pain.

The recovery wasn’t easy, she’s quick to admit, but well worth every minute.  She slept in a recliner and spent time learning proper movement protocols.  She wore a back brace for 12 weeks and learned to negotiate daily tasks without bending her back or neck.  Plus, Matriotti had a two-year-old daughter at the time and had to explain to her why mommy couldn’t pick her up for several months.

The result?  “I have no pain and that is the best thing I could ever ask for.  And, my posture is amazing.  The first time I went out to buy clothes, I felt like I had a new body.  I’d been given a whole new me,” she shares with a smile.

Now, 18 months post-surgery Matriotti is living the life she only dreamed about before.  “Olympia Orthopaedic Associates has helped me get my life in motion,” she states.  “I’m able to actively participate in a circuit training class without pain and play with my daughter like I couldn’t before.  Living a life in motion, pain free – that’s the best gift I could have asked for.”

All photos courtesy Jessica Matriotti.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
320 Shares