Greg Tanner

Greg Tanner works as the clinical director at a local substance abuse facility. For some time, Greg has experienced sciatic nerve pain in one of his legs. The pain progressively got worse and eventually affected both legs. Chalking it up to “wear-and-tear,” Greg assumed it would resolve itself with time and rest.

But Greg was mistaken.

Before he knew it, Greg found himself unable to stand or walk. He texted a buddy to take him to the emergency room. After hours in the ER and numerous tests, Greg finally had an answer as to the cause of his pain. Greg had a bulging disk, which pressed on a nerve resulting in numbness, pain, and weakness. The surgeon reviewed his images and determined the best course of action was immediate surgery.

Within 24 hours, Greg was prepped and underwent the procedure. The surgery went flawlessly, and Greg immediately felt relief upon waking, experiencing significantly less pain. The case management team at the hospital strongly encouraged Greg to complete an inpatient rehabilitation stay before returning home. Soon, Greg transferred to San Joaquin Valley Rehabilitation Hospital for the next phase of his recovery.

Greg arrived at SJVRH excited to start, eager to get moving and back to his everyday life.

“The second I got there, everyone was very kind,” Greg recalled. “The doctor came in every single morning and spent some time [with me]. He checked on numbness and spoke to me about pain.”

On a few occasions, Greg sought a better understanding of the exercises his therapists asked him to complete. But in each instance, his therapists took the time to explain the exercises and provide coaching and motivation.

The results were substantial, as Greg regained strength and confidence in his abilities over a short inpatient rehab stay.

Despite his great progress, Greg was a bit nervous about returning home. He didn’t want to become complacent or lose momentum. So Greg decided to continue his care on an outpatient basis through SJVRH’s outpatient therapy program in Clovis.

“I appreciate everything that has been done for me,” Greg shared. “Everyone has been supportive and kind. Everybody at SJVRH was just fantastic.”