Before I came to Dr. Okafor I had severe pain in my back from the nerves in the left side and the right side, it was just horrible. It hurt from my back all the way down into my toes. But after my surgery the pain that was running down my legs and back just quit. It’s a 100 percent difference now. I couldn’t sit without being in pain. It was just horrible. The nerve was severe and it was just crushed. I couldn’t do any of my house work, I couldn’t stand long enough to cook, I needed help to get into the shower. I am so thankful I can now do it on my own.

Submitted April 14, 2017

I had severe pain in the back of my neck, it was pretty bad. After coming to Spine Institute of Central Florida Dr. Okafor had to go in and open up the vertebrae, clean them out and put fillers in. The third vertebra needed a replacement because it was pretty well gone and I had several bone spurs. After the surgery I had absolutely no pain and here I am a year later and I’ve had no pain, which is wonderful. Dr. Okafor is a sweetheart and an overgrown teddy bear of whom I can be very thankful for what he did, which was a pretty heavy duty surgery but he did a fine job. I am very happy I came to him and as far as the staff everyone is very pleasant and handled me very nicely. I am very grateful to Dr. Okafor for making me better.

Submitted April 13, 2017

My name is Kaylea and I had work done by Dr. Okafor at the Spine Institute of Central Florida. For years I had some back issues going on, it was mostly in my upper back and it was spreading into getting frequent headaches and my arms started becoming numb and falling asleep so I figured I should go in and see what was going on. I had an anterior cervical discectomy and Dr. Okafor completely removed the herniated discs with an allograft. I love the Spine Institute, I am totally pleased with everything. Immediately after the surgery I felt ten times better and I just really like how the staff follows up with everything. Previous doctors I have been to never really gave me an answer as to why I was having back pain and headaches, so actually having a definite answer and cure was pretty nice, the level of care there is just great. Since going to the Spine Institute it has been a total tenfold. As soon as I woke up after the operation I felt completely different and much better. I haven’t had a headache yet and I haven’t had any numbness going on so I’m very pleased.

Submitted April 3, 2017

My name is Cynthia Blair and my doctor is Dr. Okafor. I had several issues when I came to the Spine Institute of Central Florida. I had collapsed discs, five herniated discs, nerve issues, spinal stenosis and arthritis in my back. I’ve had physical therapy, spine injections and surgery. At the Spine Institute of Central Florida you might not like what they tell you but they are going to tell you straight forward what the issue is, how to fix it and what you got to do. Other doctors you only see for two or three minutes and then you’re done. They leave you thinking, what do I do now? They don’t do that at the Spine Institute. They sit and explain everything, give you your options, tell you what you need to do and how things need to be done. They go through the whole thing with you. They don’t leave you wondering.

Submitted March 23, 2017

I was having back pain and I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis and I had had my right hip replaced and after that I was still having a lot of back pain, which they thought maybe the back pain would stop. I was reevaluated and thought I would benefit from surgery and that’s what Dr. Okafor did for me. The staff at the Spine Institute of Central Florida is amazing. Everybody is friendly and everybody is helpful. Dr. Okafor was very professional, very helpful in explaining the procedure and what to anticipate before and after. There is a level of friendliness and care at the Spine Institute that I haven’t had with other providers. They will call me to remind me of my appointments, which some other doctor offices don’t do.

Submitted March 23, 2017

I was in a halo vest for about nine months and my original doctor wanted to do surgery on me because he thought that I wouldn’t be able to connect normally and after four different doctors we went to Dr. Okafor and he gave me the chance to try a different treatment plan and it’s working. I received my neck injury after being in a car accident with a semi-truck. It hit head on and my car started spinning all the way to the back set of wheels and that’s when the car started driving over me and then it pushed down my car making it flip over. Everybody is great at the Spine Institute of Central Florida because in the beginning I didn’t see Dr. Okafor, I saw another doctor who was kind enough to show my case to the different doctors and that’s when Dr. Okafor grabbed it. The fact that the whole staff wanted to help was really good. I feel great and getting out of the halo lets me do a lot more and lets me enjoy things normally in my life so Dr. Okafor pretty much saved my life.

Submitted March 22, 2017

My doctor is Dr. Okafor. I have been going to him for 6 or 8 years. I started out with some back problems and he eventually had to do major surgery on my back. After that the quality of my life increased tremendously. I was able, a year after the operation, to get into the Senior Olympics, believe it or not, in weightlifting. At that time for my weight and age I set a Polk County record. I could not have done that without the doctor. I have gone to other doctors, I have lived all over the country because of my job. I lived in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Detroit and I’ve been to various doctors in those places and from time to time I have had flare ups and back problems but when I came to Dr. Okafor I found a home where I was able to get the results I really wanted. And I’m still at the Spine Institute of Central Florida.

Submitted March 16, 2017

Doctor Okafor came highly recommended by a friend who injured his spine, and had spine surgery by Dr. Okafor. He says he is walking today thanks to Dr. Okafor. I myself had a complicated history with my back. I have been seen by many specialists, and have had 3 back surgeries before seeing Dr. Okafor. The last surgery did not help anything, it made me much worse. Pain burning down my legs, difficulty walking, difficulty standing straight. I was sitting around in pain. Being woke up with pain in middle of night all the time. I went back to another neurosurgeon who told me my nerve compression is so bad that surgery is very dangerous for my back, and will not do surgery for me because it is dangerous. I was made to feel like I have to live like this with my bad nerve compression and pain. I was told if anyone can help me it would be Dr. Okafor, I was very impressed when I saw him first. He is very thorough, explained my condition to me much better than anyone had done in past. He has excellent bed side manners. Explained all my options were I understood it, answered my questions, all of them and I had a list. He explained me all the risks of surgery. Back surgery done by Dr. Okafor took away all my pain. I could not even image what to expect given the other 3 surgeries before did not help. After surgery with Dr. Okafor, when I got up walking around in hospital with no pain in my legs I thought I was in a dream. I don’t take any pain medications, and don’t have pain. I have gotten back to living, and thank you Dr. Okafor for all your help. His team is great and considerate all the time. A surgeon told my problem was so complex that it is dangerous to do surgery again. I am glad I saw Dr. Okafor to end that life of pain.

Submitted March 13, 2017

My back hurt so bad I couldn’t walk and my doctor recommended the Spine Institute of Florida. When I came in here and couldn’t walk they did the cement in the fractured vertebrae and the instant they put the cement in I didn’t hurt anymore. They (doctors and staff) are all great. I couldn’t recommend them any higher because all of them are very, very nice and friendly and answer your questions. It’s the greatest place if you want anything done to your spine or X-rays done or anything they think needs to be done they call in and get authorization for it through my insurance company then they call me up and tell me they’ve gotten it and to come on in to get it done or tell me where to go. I think it’s just great, I think this is the greatest place I’ve ever been as far as going to a doctor.

Submitted March 7, 2017

Wait time is 3 to 5 hrs with scheduled apt. I had multiple serious issues with Dr. Okafore after being a regular patient for almost 1 year, receiving lumbar and cervical epidurals at his office but not performed by Dr. Okafore. He has terrible bed side manners. He also refused to see me during a scheduled 4 week post surgery apt with him personally, in spite of the fact that he'd performed 5 major surgeries on me only 4 weeks prior. He screamed: "You're wasting my precious time." Simply because I insisted to see him personally in order to explain to me post surgeries X-rays, rods, fusions, screws inserted,
, etc.? A normal task for every other surgeon post surgery. He also attempted to perform an unnecessary Kyphoplasty on me, torturing me without anesthesia, only to abort surgery after 20 min because he couldn't insert the bone cement. My bones are too strong he said. Hard to believe that an "experienced" surgeon could make such a serious mistake. He misread my MRI, he attempted to pound the cement into my bones for at least 20 min, to no avail. Insanely painful.
Also, one scar on my spine looks like an ugly belly button. After I questioned the scar he yelled: "Get over it, you'll just have to live with it." He also tried to tell me that the scar was nothing but female flab, grabbing my upperarm, searching for flab. I told him that I don't have flab, I've worked out all my life, always strived to maintain my model figure. This in return caused him to yell at me for HEALING TOO FAST. "Look at you, nobody else ever walked into my office prior to 6 month post surgery without a walker. You're only 4 weeks into surgery. I never saw a patient healing as fast as you after the surgeries you had.
"I asked him whether I'm being punished for great genes?' For living healty, healing too fast?'' He, also yelled at his PA, quote: "Next time SHE comes in she can see Kyle ( another PA), he can explain the exrays to her but she gets 5 minutes, NOT A MINUTE MORE." Then, he yelled: "You can wait up front in the wating room till you're checked out. You're done!"

Submitted Feb. 26, 2017