Skip to main content
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Donate opens in new window
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Hoag
  • Specialties & Services
    Our institutes

    Hoag Family Cancer Institute

    View Institute
    • Find Your Cancer Type
      • View All Cancers Treated
      • Bladder Cancer
      • Brain Tumor
      • Breast Cancer
      • Colorectal Cancer
      • Endocrine Tumors
      • Gynecologic Cancer
      • Head & Neck Cancer
      • Lung Cancer
      • Pancreatic Cancer
      • Prostate Cancer
      • Renal (Kidney) Cancer
      • Skin Cancer/Melanoma
    • Treatments & Services
      • Applied Genomics
      • Cancer Trials
      • Cell Therapy
      • da Vinci® Robotic Surgery
      • Gamma Knife
      • Genetic Counseling
      • High Risk
      • Infusion Services
      • Molecular Imaging
      • Radiation Oncology

    Hoag Digestive Health Institute

    View Institute
    • Programs
      • Advanced Endoscopy
      • Bariatric Surgery Weight Loss
      • Colorectal
      • Foregut (Esophagus & Stomach)
      • Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
      • Liver
      • Midgut (Pancreas, Biliary & Gallbladder)
      • Motility

    Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart & Vascular Institute

    View Institute
    • Programs
      • Aortic Program
      • Coronary Artery Disease Program
      • General Cardiovascular Health
      • Heart Failure Program
      • Heart Rhythm Program
      • Heart Valve Program
      • Marfan Syndrome Clinic
      • Vascular Program
    • Treatment & Services
      • Aortic Disease Treatment & Management
      • Cardiac Arrhythmia Treatment & Management
      • Cardiac Rehabilitation
      • Coronary Artery Disease Treatment & Management
      • Heart Failure Treatment & Management
      • Heart Valve Disease Treatment & Management
      • Vascular Disease Treatment & Management

    Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute

    View Institute
    • Programs
      • Acute Rehabilitation
      • Addiction Medicine
      • ASPIRE (Teen Mental Health, 13-18)
      • Brain Tumor
      • Chronic Pain & Neuropathy
      • Concussion
      • Epilepsy
      • Headache
      • Memory & Cognitive Disorders
      • Multiple Sclerosis & Neuroimmunology
      • Parkinson’s & Movement Disorders
      • Skull Base & Pituitary Tumor
      • Sleep Health
      • Stroke
      • Young Adult Mental Health (18-26)
    • Diagnostics & Treatment
      • Epilepsy Monitoring Unit
      • Gamma Knife
      • Interventional Neuroradiology
      • MRI / 3T / CT
      • EEG/EMG (Neurophysiology)
      • Neuroradiology
      • Neuro Rehabilitation
      • PET / CT
      • Tomotherapy

    Hoag Orthopedic Institute

    View Institute
    • Programs
      • Elbow
      • Foot & Ankle
      • Hand & Wrist
      • Hip
      • Knee
      • Shoulder
      • Spine
      • Trauma
    • Services
      • Sports Medicine
      • Physical Therapy
      • Diagnostics
      • Sarcoma
      • Travel Program
      • International Patients

    Hoag Spine Institute

    View Institute
    • Conditions
      • Chronic Neck or Back Pain
      • Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD)
      • Herniated Disc/Lumbar Disc Disease
      • Kyphosis
      • Lower Back Pain
      • Myelopathy
      • Neck Pain (Cervical Pain)
      • Nerve Compression
      • Osteoporosis
      • Osteoarthritis
      • Radiculopathy (Pinched Nerve)
      • Scoliosis
      • Sciatica
      • Spinal Deformity
      • Spinal Tumors
      • Spinal Stenosis
      • Spinal Fractures
      • Spondylolisthesis
      • Tailbone Pain
      • Whiplash

    Hoag Women’s Health Institute

    View Institute
    • Breast Health
      • Meet the Team
      • Locations
      • Imaging
      • Diagnosis
      • Surgery
      • Chemotherapy
      • Radiation Therapy
      • High Risk
    • Gynecologic Health
      • Gynecologic Cancer Program
      • Gynecologic & Pelvic Health
      • Pelvic Health
    • Maternal Child Health
      • Pregnancy
      • Prenatal Classes / OB Education
      • Pre-Registration
      • Virtual Maternity Tour
      • NICU
      • Support Services
      • Mental Health
    • Wellness & Prevention
      • Hoag for Her Center for Wellness
      • Integrated Services
      • Meet Our Team
      • Classes

    Other Programs & Services

    View All
    • Acute Rehabilitation
    • Addiction Medicine
    • Breast Program
    • Care Coordination
    • Clinical Research
    • Concierge Medicine
    • Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center
    • End of Life Care
    • Executive Health
    • Functional Medicine
    • Hoag At Home
    • Hoag Endoscopy Center
    • Hoag Genetic Counseling
    • Hoag Prime
    • Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living
    • Mental Health Services
    • Nurse Navigator
    • Occupational Therapy
    • Outpatient Lab
    • Outpatient Rehabilitation Services
    • Palliative Care
    • Pelvic Health
    • Physical Therapy
    • Pregnancy & Infant Loss
    • Radiology & Imaging Services
    • Respiratory Care
    • Robotics
    • Sleep Health
    • Smoking Cessation
    • Speech Therapy
    • Spine Institute
    • Spiritual Care
    • Sports Medicine
    • Thyroid

    Specialties & Services

    Hoag is the highest ranked hospital in Orange County. Learn more about our top rated Institutes and services in Southern California.

    View all Specialties & Services

    View All
    • Find Your Cancer Type
      • View All Cancers Treated
      • Bladder Cancer
      • Brain Tumor
      • Breast Cancer
      • Colorectal Cancer
      • Endocrine Tumors
      • Gynecologic Cancer
      • Head & Neck Cancer
      • Lung Cancer
      • Pancreatic Cancer
      • Prostate Cancer
      • Renal (Kidney) Cancer
      • Skin Cancer/Melanoma
    • Treatments & Services
      • Applied Genomics
      • Cancer Trials
      • Cell Therapy
      • da Vinci® Robotic Surgery
      • Gamma Knife
      • Genetic Counseling
      • High Risk
      • Infusion Services
      • Molecular Imaging
      • Radiation Oncology

    View All
    • Programs
      • Advanced Endoscopy
      • Bariatric Surgery Weight Loss
      • Colorectal
      • Foregut (Esophagus & Stomach)
      • Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
      • Liver
      • Midgut (Pancreas, Biliary & Gallbladder)
      • Motility

    View All
    • Programs
      • Aortic Program
      • Coronary Artery Disease Program
      • General Cardiovascular Health
      • Heart Failure Program
      • Heart Rhythm Program
      • Heart Valve Program
      • Marfan Syndrome Clinic
      • Vascular Program
    • Treatment & Services
      • Aortic Disease Treatment & Management
      • Cardiac Arrhythmia Treatment & Management
      • Cardiac Rehabilitation
      • Coronary Artery Disease Treatment & Management
      • Heart Failure Treatment & Management
      • Heart Valve Disease Treatment & Management
      • Vascular Disease Treatment & Management

    View All
    • Programs
      • Acute Rehabilitation
      • Addiction Medicine
      • ASPIRE (Teen Mental Health, 13-18)
      • Brain Tumor
      • Chronic Pain & Neuropathy
      • Concussion
      • Epilepsy
      • Headache
      • Memory & Cognitive Disorders
      • Multiple Sclerosis & Neuroimmunology
      • Parkinson’s & Movement Disorders
      • Skull Base & Pituitary Tumor
      • Sleep Health
      • Stroke
      • Young Adult Mental Health (18-26)
    • Diagnostics & Treatment
      • Epilepsy Monitoring Unit
      • Gamma Knife
      • Interventional Neuroradiology
      • MRI / 3T / CT
      • EEG/EMG (Neurophysiology)
      • Neuroradiology
      • Neuro Rehabilitation
      • PET / CT
      • Tomotherapy

    View All
    • Programs
      • Elbow
      • Foot & Ankle
      • Hand & Wrist
      • Hip
      • Knee
      • Shoulder
      • Spine
      • Trauma
    • Services
      • Sports Medicine
      • Physical Therapy
      • Diagnostics
      • Sarcoma
      • Travel Program
      • International Patients

    View All
    • Conditions
      • Chronic Neck or Back Pain
      • Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD)
      • Herniated Disc/Lumbar Disc Disease
      • Kyphosis
      • Lower Back Pain
      • Myelopathy
      • Neck Pain (Cervical Pain)
      • Nerve Compression
      • Osteoporosis
      • Osteoarthritis
      • Radiculopathy (Pinched Nerve)
      • Scoliosis
      • Sciatica
      • Spinal Deformity
      • Spinal Tumors
      • Spinal Stenosis
      • Spinal Fractures
      • Spondylolisthesis
      • Tailbone Pain
      • Whiplash

    View All
    • Breast Health
      • Meet the Team
      • Locations
      • Imaging
      • Diagnosis
      • Surgery
      • Chemotherapy
      • Radiation Therapy
      • High Risk
    • Gynecologic Health
      • Gynecologic Cancer Program
      • Gynecologic & Pelvic Health
      • Pelvic Health
    • Maternal Child Health
      • Pregnancy
      • Prenatal Classes / OB Education
      • Pre-Registration
      • Virtual Maternity Tour
      • NICU
      • Support Services
      • Mental Health
    • Wellness & Prevention
      • Hoag for Her Center for Wellness
      • Integrated Services
      • Meet Our Team
      • Classes

    View All
    • Acute Rehabilitation
    • Addiction Medicine
    • Breast Program
    • Care Coordination
    • Clinical Research
    • Concierge Medicine
    • Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center
    • End of Life Care
    • Executive Health
    • Functional Medicine
    • Hoag At Home
    • Hoag Endoscopy Center
    • Hoag Genetic Counseling
    • Hoag Prime
    • Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living
    • Mental Health Services
    • Nurse Navigator
    • Occupational Therapy
    • Outpatient Lab
    • Outpatient Rehabilitation Services
    • Palliative Care
    • Pelvic Health
    • Physical Therapy
    • Pregnancy & Infant Loss
    • Radiology & Imaging Services
    • Respiratory Care
    • Robotics
    • Sleep Health
    • Smoking Cessation
    • Speech Therapy
    • Spine Institute
    • Spiritual Care
    • Sports Medicine
    • Thyroid
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
  • Resources
    • Education
      • Classes
      • Empowered by Hoag Blog
      • Podcasts
      • Corporate Wellness
      • Volunteer
    • Resources
      • Advance Care Planning
      • Seniors / Medicare
      • Support Groups
      • For Medical Professionals
      • Health Risk Assessments
      • Clinical Research
      • For Brokers, Agents & Employers
    • Innovation at Hoag
      • Hoag Compass
      • Virtual Reality Program
  • About Hoag
    • Hoag Health Network
      • About Us
      • Leadership
      • Awards
      • Corporate Information
      • Community Benefit
      • Nursing
      • Graduate Medical Education
      • Culture of Excellence
    • News & Publications
      • Empowered by Hoag Blog
      • News
      • Hoag for Life
      • Hoag In Your Community
      • Press Room

  • Pay Your Bill
  • Donate opens in new window
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Hoag

Search Suggestions

  • Find a doctor
  • Covid19
  • Visiting Hours
Header

Filter Stories By



OR

Trust, Patience, Teamwork and Gratitude: One Back Surgery Patient’s Journey to Health

November 20, 2020

“The things that we do, those things come to define us, at least to ourselves,” said Eric Noble, speaking after the five-year anniversary of his life-altering back surgery at the Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute at Hoag.

An athletic person his whole life, Eric said that being active is an integral part of his identity. So is fatherhood. In fact, since becoming a father 19 years ago, Eric has mixed those two aspects of his identity – surfing with his two sons, running wind sprints with them to keep them conditioned for soccer.

Then, one day, a back injury he suffered in college took its final toll on his lower lumbar disc. After a lifetime of staying active while staying careful to avoid re-aggravating his injured disc, Eric pulled up in his driveway and couldn’t get out of the car.

Just like that.

“I’m by no means a world-class athlete, but for me part of my identity has always been athletic pursuits. That was taken away from me suddenly, when I was in the middle of raising my boys,” he said. “They were 9 and 13, and I was spending lots of time with them, surfing together 200 to 230 days a year. As a father, that was immeasurably important shared time. So, when that was removed, not only was I in pain, but I couldn’t be with my boys in the water.”

Eric did extensive research, combing through medical journals and seeking out surgeons who could help. Only Burak Ozgur, M.D., Chief of Service for the Neurosurgical Spine Program at Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute at Hoag, made him feel listened to. He asked Eric about his lifestyle, about his fears and his goals.

“It was clear that he was in it to serve people, and that was really important to me,” Eric said. “I felt like this is someone who cared about others and was going to take every case, including mine, at an individual personal level.”

This became particularly evident when Dr. Ozgur recommended that Eric see chiropractor Mark Wardenburg, D.C. Dr. Ozgur advocates for all patients to consider conservative management first, such as the chiropractor, acupuncture, pain management, etc. before opting for surgery.

“Usually it seems like the chiropractic and the traditional medical communities are at odds with each other, so it was strange that a neurosurgeon was referring me to a chiropractor, but he wanted to know more about me as an athlete,” Eric said. “Dr. Wardenburg explained that they were going to work together to do a process of elimination.”

While Eric’s disc was clearly collapsed, a collapsed disc is not always the source of pain. Before recommending back surgery, Dr. Ozgur advocates for patients to find out if surgery is really the solution.

After six months of testing, it became clear that Eric would benefit from surgery, after all. Dr. Ozgur not only performed a lateral interbody fusion, but he agreed to perform the procedure without inserting any metal rods or pins to help secure the spine, relying on natural bone fusion – a less invasive technique that Eric specifically wanted. This meant Eric would have to be extra careful during his recovery and that his healing period may take longer, but Eric wanted to avoid hardware that might limit his mobility in the long run.

It was a decision that required a deep two-way trust. Eric trusted Dr. Ozgur’s expertise and Dr. Ozgur trusted that Eric would put in the hard work of physical therapy and healing.

“It was hard, because immediately after the surgery I felt so much better, but I had to be careful for a year until the spine fused,” he said. “So, in 2016, after a year of recovery and physical therapy, I was able to get back on a board and to continue learning surfing.”

Emphasis on the word “learning.”

“The irony is, by the time I did get back out with my sons, both my boys rip, and I’m left behind,” he says. “But that’s what you want. You want them to surpass you.”

Every day on the water with his sons, Eric said he feels immeasurable gratitude. On the five-year anniversary of his back surgery, he sent a photo of himself surfing along with a note of thanks to Drs. Ozgur and Wardenburg.

“It’s now five years post-fusion for me, and every time I paddle into the surf with my sons, I’m grateful to you both and to your staff members,” he wrote. “Your extraordinary expertise in combined diagnosis, pre-surgical physical therapy, surgery, physical therapy, and empathetic caring has given me a second life – one I never take for granted, even after half a decade. My back is 99% perfect, well ahead of just about any 55-year-old, spine fusion or not!”

In Hoag, Eric found a surgeon and a medical team who were willing to define him as he defined himself – as an athlete and a father.

“Any of us in life can feel like we’ve either earned our own successes or that we’ve had good luck. Either one doesn’t acknowledge the fact that we’ve had help from people along the way,” he said. “Hoag, as an environment, the warmth of the staff, the people, really exemplifies that. That whole experience was just amazing. I was treated as an individual the whole way.”

Tags: Story,Spine,Family

What's Trending

Postpartum Bleeding Red Flags You Shouldn't Ignore
June 24, 2019
What Happens to Relationships When Sex Hurts
November 7, 2019
How A Mediterranean Diet Can Make You(r Brain) Look 19 Years Younger
May 3, 2023

Recently Written

Hoag Recognized as 2025 Top Hospitals for Patient Experience by Healthgrades
May 15, 2025
Ask the Doctor: Spring Allergies
May 14, 2025
Skin Cancer Prevention: Answers to 3 Common Questions
May 13, 2025
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

May 14, 2025
Ask the Doctor: Spring Allergies
May 13, 2025
Skin Cancer Prevention: Answers to 3 Common Questions
Hoag CFO Andrew Guarni Recognized as 2025 CFO of the Year
May 9, 2025
Marilyn Larsen Named Hoag’s 2025 Nurse of the Year
Hoag Empowers New Mom to Advocate for Her Baby–And for Others
The Heart of Healing: Celebrating Hoag’s Moms
May 8, 2025
Women Deserve to Prioritize Their Health — Without Guilt
April 30, 2025
Hoag’s Commitment to Innovation Creates New Paths for Parkinson’s Treatment

Sign up for our Newsletter

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Hoag

Need to ask a question?
Contact Us

Quick Links

  • COVID-19 Resources
  • Appointments
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Federal Transparency in Coverage Rule
  • Price Transparency
  • CMS Open Payments Notice
  • Donate
  • Online Bill Payment
  • Hoag Connect MyChart

Patients & Visitors

  • Infection Prevention
  • Health Insurance
  • Patient & Visitor Info

About Hoag

  • About Us
  • Awards & Accreditations
  • News
  • Community Benefit
  • Hoag Orthopedic Institute
  • Hoag Medical Group
  • Careers
  • Legal

Education & Resources

  • Classes
  • Corporate Wellness
  • Support Groups
  • Volunteer
  • Clinical Research
  • For Medical Professionals
  • Brokers, Agents & Employers

© 2025 Hoag, All Rights Reserved.

Legal

×

Booking a DEXA appointment with Hoag requires a doctor's order

If you don’t have a copy of your doctor's order at the time of the appointment, your appointment might have to be rescheduled or cancelled.

Important

  • You should not have had any nuclear medicine, barium, or iodine studies 10 days before your DEXA scan.
  • The appointments shown below for DEXA scans are for the purpose of measuring bone density. For DEXA scans for body fat analysis, please use the numbers below to schedule an appointment:
    • Newport Imaging Center (Hoag Affiliated Partner): 949-721-8191
    • Tustin Imaging Center (Hoag Affiliated Partner): 714-477-8340
OR