Without sounding overly dramatic, or going into too much detail, I can honestly say I believe Dr. Cantor saved my life. In 2007, my symptoms indicated dangerous and regular impingement/damage to my cervical spinal cord and I was told I was in imminent danger of becoming a quadriplegic unless I had surgery immediately. I refused. Following an 11 year search for a doctor who did NOT recommend fusion of my cervical spine C3 through C6 as the ONLY procedure available to me, I finally had the good fortune to be referred to Dr. Cantor, who had a different approach, different attitude, different techniques and a different solution to restore stability to my cervical spine and provide a safe open space for my spinal cord. At my first appointment, he spent more than 2 hours examining me and going over my MRIs CTScans, X-rays and history with me to explain what he thought he could/should do. When he finished I was in tears – tears of relief because I knew I finally had found a doctor who could help me.
Not only is his surgical approach different, but his office organization is different, functioning as a team that becomes a pre and post operative “risk management program” that includes availability of immune boosting diet, nutrition, exercise and supplements recommendations to make sure his (non-emergency) patients go into surgery as strong and healthy as possible, and one or two always available patient liaisons to answer any questions that might come up. On Dec. 3, 2018 Dr. Cantor performed posterior decompression surgery C2 through C6, then did an anterior single fusion C3/C4. My vertebrae are now stable, my spinal canal is wide open, and after 3.5 months I have almost full range of motion in my neck, my scary symptoms are gone and I’m not afraid to move anymore. It wasn’t exactly a walk in the park . . . I had a lot of pain the first week and many limitations for the first month but I always had contact with Dr. Cantor’s office and he or someone on his team were always available to answer questions and find solutions for any concerns. He is so well thought of in the community that even the hospital and rehab facility follow his diet, nutrition and exercise recommendations for his patients. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Cantor and his team, I recommend them highly, and I will continue to see him regarding issues in my lumbar and thoracic spine due to the degenerative disk disease that plagues me.