Retired Dolphin Kim Bokamper: Back Surgery ‘Gave Me My Life Back’

Retired Pro Bowl linebacker, Kim Bokamper, saw no other choice than to go through with the back surgery that would ultimately return him to a normal life. Mr. Bokamper, who played for the Miami Dolphins from 1976 to 1985, says that playing professional football was “certainly one of the greatest things he’s ever accomplished in his life.” However, throughout the 22 years of playing football — from the time he was a young boy, though high school, college and the National Football League — the repeated hits took their toll on his back. He would feel the effects much later after his football career had ended. Until recently, he had always endured back pain, but it was tolerable, says Mr. Bokamper. However, over the last couple of years he began feeling a shooting pain down his legs. His back pain became so severe that he often slept in a recliner. His life became too much about getting from one chair to the next because he could only stand for a few minutes at a time. That’s when he approached John Uribe, M.D., team physician for the Miami Dolphins, who reviewed his X-Rays and recommended he go through with this surgery. And Dr. Uribe told him he had the “just the right guy” for the surgery, recalls Mr. Bokamper. Raul Vasquez, M.D., director of Complex Spine Surgery at Miami Neuroscience Institute, said that Mr. Bokamper’s back had a “severe case of spondylolisthesis and lumbar stenosis.” Dr. Vasquez evaluated the options with Mr. Bokamper and agreed that restoring his quality of life was paramount. The surgery involved two levels of spinal fusion, restructuring the lumbar vertebrae to create space for the nerves, cushioning the area between with carbon fiber disks, and stabilizing the spine with rods and screws. [Transcript] Kim Bokamper: I came to Miami Dolphins in 1976, I was a first round draft choice. I played linebacker for my first five years in the league. I played defensive end for the last five years of my league. And so I spent 10 years with the Dolphins, and it was a lot of bumps and bruises, a lot of broken bones, a lot of this and that, but certainly a lot to look back to and have fond memories of. Kim Bokamper: Well, you know, I've had back pain really during my playing career and afterwards, but it was tolerable. But I had began having shooting pains in my leg, and then they got more and more severe. That's when I approached Dr. Uribe and said, "doc," I said. He said, "well, let me take a look at the x-rays. Let me see." And when he called me back he said, "look, you need the surgery. You need to schedule it now." Dr. Raul Vasquez: Mr. Romper came to me with a severe case of back pain and leg pain, unable to stand up for more than a few minutes, and unable to walk any distance. We did a definitive surgery. We did diffusion decompression. The long term, the prognosis for him is very good, is excellent. Dr. Raul Vasquez: We prepare him before the surgery about the expectations, and we modify his lifestyle and his level of activity to prevent any further damage in the future. So what I'm expecting from him from now on is that this was last forever, and that he will be pain free for the rest of his life without having to do any operation. Kim Bokamper: For the first time that I can remember, I'm pain free in my back. Now, I'm riding my bike more, I'm riding 15, 20 miles every time I ride. I've started playing golf again, I've taken this time to restart my golf game and see if I can start from scratch and make it better. I do everything I want to do around the house, and sleeping much better, I'm getting full night's sleep. And I almost feel ashamed to say, or embarrassed to say, that I got, no, I don't even know... right now, it doesn't feel like I had any issues with my back whatsoever, which I'm happy about. You know? So yeah, it's been a big relief for me, and it is given me my life back, quite frankly.