09/01/2026
For 32 years, Richard Ozuna answered emergencies and saved lives as part of the San Antonio Fire Department, including 21 years as a field paramedic. Despite having no regrets, it was a job that took a toll on his body, from two neck fusions and a blown disc to rebuilt shoulders, three hip labrum repairs, and two laminectomies. After 11 years of retirement, the back pain he had lived with for decades continued to worsen, even while doing everything he could to stay ahead of it.
He asked himself: Is there a professional I can access who can help me? His answer was found in Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Gautham Prabhakar and Vascular Surgeon Dr. Matthew Sideman. After reviewing Richard's MRI, Dr. Prabhakar decided upon a transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) procedure.
Working alongside Dr. Sideman, Dr. Prabhakar removed three damaged discs and replaced them with three titanium cages during a 10-and-a-half-hour surgery. Completed in a single day instead of the typical two-part procedure, Richard was able to recover more easily without any complications.
Today, he's sleeping better, walking more, no longer falling, can sit down longer, and, best of all, is no longer living a life dictated by pain. He's grateful to our entire staff, who he said treated him as an individual and not just a number.
This Pain Awareness Month, he advises others not to wait for the pain to go away, but to advocate for themselves and seek professional help when they need it, because, as he puts it, there's no shame in asking for help.
