Patient Testimonials

Barbara
Annandale
Knee Replacement

Dennis
Amissville
Total Hip Replacement

Blanca
Leesburg
Bilateral Hip Replacement

Sarah
Burke
Fractured Elbow

Ca'Dell
Reston
Achilles Repair

Carolyn
Alexandria
Bilateral Hip and
Knee Replacements

Hisham
Reston
ACL Repair

Brian
Herndon
Torn Biceps Tendon

John
Springfield
Spine Surgery

Hiko
Fairfax
Detached Thumb Ligament

Matthew
Fairfax
Shoulder Repair

CourtneyMcLean
Fractured Leg

Lisa
Centreville
Minimally Invasive
Spine Surgery

Maurice
Clifton
Osteoarthritis

Maureen
Oak Hill
Non-Surgical
Pain Management

Brian
Reston
Minimally Invasive
Total Hip Replacement

James
Arlington
Knee Replacement

Cheryl
Oak Hill
Reconstructive
Hand Surgery

Chris
Arlington
Carpal Tunnel Surgery

Vilma
Vienna
Fractured Wrist

Kelsey
Centreville
Spondylolysis

Jeff
Alexandria
Shoulder Repair

Jenna
Centreville
ACL Repair

Vicki
Manassas
Torn Rotator Cuff

Dana
Manassas
Dupuytren’s
Contracture

Leroy
Falls Church
Osteoarthritis

Brian
Arlington
Knee Arthroscopy

Donna
West Springfield
Pilates and
Core Stabilization

Keith
Stafford
Torn Rotator Cuff

Rachel
Vienna
Broken Wrist

Patson
Annandale
Herniated Disc

Jerri
Alexandria
Muscle-Sparing Total
Knee Replacement

Matthew
Lucketts, VA
Ankle Replacement

Garrett
Vienna
Shoulder Rehabilitation

Karen
Alexandria
Shoulder Repair

James
Annandale
Distal Biceps
Tendon Repair

Laurie
Potomac Falls
Minimally Invasive
Hip Arthroscopy

Kevin
Alexandria
Lacerated Extensor
Tendon Repair

Mary
Herndon
ACL Reconstruction &
Meniscus Transplant

Sam
Edgewater, MD
Shoulder Repair Surgery

Phil
Springfield
Clavicle Fracture

Kelley
Sterling
Dislocated Kneecaps

Brian
Vienna
Skier's Thumb

Stephanie
Vienna
Knee & Hip Replacement

Catherine
McLean
Spine Deformity

Jim
Clifton
Twisted Pelvis

Spiro
Washington, DC
Multi-ligament
Reconstruction

Wenners
Manassas
Achilles Tendon
Reconstruction

Debbie
Haymarket
Anterior Hip
Replacement

Susan
Great Falls
ACL Tear

Patient Testimonials - Kelsey

Centreville – Spondylolysis

As a competitive volleyball player, Kelsey is used to playing through pain. So when she felt some twinges in her back during a tournament with her Virginia Elite Volleyball Club, she ignored them. “I thought my muscles were sore after sitting out the previous year with Lyme disease,” says Kelsey, who was a senior at Westfield High School at the time. “But as the game progressed, the pain got worse and worse. At the end of the day I could barely move.”

After resting for three weeks, Kelsey returned to the volleyball court, and so did her back pain. She and her mom decided it was time to consult an orthopaedic surgeon. They chose Thomas Mazahery, MD, who specializes in degenerative spine conditions, cervical spine pathology and trauma at Commonwealth Orthopaedics. No sooner had Kelsey described her symptoms to Dr. Mazahery than he made his diagnosis: spondylolysis. An X-ray and bone scan confirmed a double stress fracture in L5 of her lower lumbar spine.

Spondylolysis is most common in adolescent athletes, particularly those involved in flexion/extension activities such as gymnastics, football, soccer or volleyball. Like the vast majority of patients with the condition, Kelsey did not need surgery. Dr. Mazahery put her in a back brace for several months to allow her stress fractures to heal. Once the brace was off, she had some physical therapy to ease back into athletics and improve her core strength.

Now she’s back on the volleyball court, playing for the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where she’s a freshman.

“This is the Big 10, so it’s very competitive,” she says. “Fortunately, I’m playing at the same level as I was before. Thanks to the great care from Dr. Mazahery and Commonwealth Orthopaedics, my back pain is completely gone.”