06/01/2026
“I got my life back. The life I wanted to have.”
When she went from running half marathons to struggling to walk around the block, Denise Patocka knew it was time to see someone for her back pain. But after an initial opinion from another source suggested that she’d never regain her full range of motion, she put off any treatment. However, the pain never went away, and when it kept her from being fully present for big family moments, Denise decided it was time to see what her options were at OrthoNebraska. Now, thanks to surgery with Dr. Porter, her back pain is behind her, and she’s living life to the fullest.
Hear more from Denise about how back surgery has allowed her to focus on what’s really important.
Video transcript
My name is Denise Patocka. I’m a very active person and there’s a lot of things I like to do.
I went from running half marathons to not walking a block. I had a first opinion from somebody else who told me I’d never be able to get on the ground to play with my grandkids. So, I put it off. I put it off to the point where my daughter got married and I had to sit in a chair the whole time because I was in pain.
You have no idea like the toll, the moments you miss because all you’re focusing on is, I want to be out of pain, and all I can think about is this pain. What can I do to ignore the pain? And you miss your life. Your life honestly will pass you by.
I came in and talked to Dr. Porter and he he gave me so much encouragement. He told me that I would be back, that I could do this, that he would make sure the surgery he performed was the right one.
And it was true. He was not lying. You know, and I was walking shortly after the surgery.
I’ve got to tell you, I’ve been a patient with Ortho for a long time, many, many years. So, I trusted them. I trust the name. I trust the doctors here. And it was pretty easy for me to decide to come here.
Well, I’m enjoying all the things that I wasn’t enjoying before. I’m enjoying my grandkids. I am on the ground. I am playing with them. I’m golfing. I’m running. I’m hiking. I’m playing pickleball. Sometimes multiple times a week.
Yeah, I got my life back, the life I wanted to have, and it’s fantastic. And it’s because of Dr. Porter and his staff.
But I absolutely put Ortho on my number one top referral.
