Ed Comitz – My Story

I grew up in sunny Arizona, so living an active and healthy lifestyle has always been important to me. It was not until I suffered a traumatic neck and head injury that I wondered if I would ever be able to enjoy being active again.

Within months of my injury, I began experiencing constant, agonizing pain in my neck and shoulder, lost manual dexterity and fine manipulation skills with my left hand, and had difficulty moving, all of which caused a precipitous decline in the quality of my life. It’s hard to explain, but my body felt physically distressed – as if I were in a constant state of being injured.

MRI’s revealed two large disc protrusions. From there, I embarked on a year-and-a-half journey of treatment options without success: multiple rounds of physical therapy, rehabilitation programs, consults at the Mayo Clinic and elsewhere, surgical consults, multiple epidural injections (interlaminar and transforminal), facet injections, trigger point injections, massage, chiropractic, traction, Ibuprofen and muscles relaxers.

Despite an unrelenting and desperate commitment to get better, my condition unfortunately progressed to the point where the entire left side of my body was constantly tense, including my neck, back, hip, leg and foot. I started losing proprioception in my left foot and ambulated with an irregular gait, and my functionality was becoming worse by the day.

This abrupt decline in functionality was both shocking and scary. I then consulted with another neurosurgeon in Phoenix and had more MRIs, which now revealed possible spinal cord compression. I was immediately admitted to Barrow Neurological Institute, where I underwent a multi-level discectomy and fusion.

I have have spent years rehabilitating and the process has been self-revealing, always too slow, but with significant progress over time. I now enjoy playing tennis, hiking, biking, swimming and jogging, all in moderation, and not without experiencing some level of pain and discomfort.

While I have improved exponentially since the surgery, I still have limitations and struggles, and know that my condition can be aggravated if I do not take good care of myself.

Most of my clients are physicians and dentists, and many have conditions similar to mine. As an attorney, I can keep working – if I drop a pen or get a cramp in my side, I can take a break or stretch, then resume working. If I were a physician or dentist, though, I would not be able to sustain positioning for long periods of time, each and every day, and would be concerned about patient safety.

I am sympathetic to physical limitations and restrictions that others may not fully understand, am strongly committed to my clients and practice, and use my experience to provide my clients with the results they deserve.

My firm, Comitz | Stanley, works with physicians, dentists and other professionals nationwide and throughout metropolitan Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson, Flagstaff and Yuma.

Click here to learn more about Ed’s disability insurance practice.

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