He was taking a break from a meeting, hitting a few golf balls to relax. On his fifth swing, he felt as though somebody had fired a shot at the base of his spine. He said, "No this can't happen to me." but it did.
It would be hard not to imagine the phrase "Physician, heal thyself" popping to mind. Because the man on the golf course was Dr. Kenneth Light, one of the pre-eminent back surgeons in the country, and he had hurt his back in the same way tens of thousands of weekend warriors have hurt theirs. Light, who lives in Mill Valley with his family, is known for taking last-chance cases, patients who have given up hope that they will ever be pain-free again.
Although he injured his back in 1984, Light still must be careful not to aggravate what turned out to be a chronic-if relatively minor-condition. "I know that if I hit two buckets of balls, on the second bucket it's going to start to hurt," said Light, who is in his early forties. When he plays a full game of golf, he chooses his clubs carefully , with an eye toward the health of his back as well as his golf score.
That attitude is a fair summation of Light's philosophy of medical practice. The founder and co-director of the San Francisco Spine Center at St. Francis Memorial Hospital, he recognizes, even as a surgeon, the benefits of what might be called "conservative treatment." Many patients receive treatment ranging from physical therapy to diet modification. Light also does not disdain the efficacy of chiropractic treatment.
While many people who suffer from back pain can see some alleviation of their symptoms with conservative therapy, Light's real specialty is treating critical patients.
"Most of the cases we see are severe. Before anybody has surgery by me they either have to be paralyzed or in danger of being paralyzed." These are the patients for whom conservative therapy has not worked. Light also treats patients who have seen other doctors to no avail.
In 1984 (the same year he hurt his back playing golf), Light took a break from his orthopedic surgery practice for a fellowship with renowned spine surgeon Dr. Edward Simmons at the University of New York at Buffalo. He returned with advanced techniques which allow surgeons to treat herniated discs that cannot be successfully corrected by other methods. The procedures focus on removing small portions of bone from the spine, causing selected vertebrae to fuse under controlled conditions. It results in a startlingly small amount of reduced mobility and has about a 90 percent success ratio.
Falling solidly in the 90 percent is Sarah Oppenheimer, a Mill Valley resident and dancer, who woke up one morning unable to move her shoulder and neck without unbearable pain. Oppenheimer, who had trained with the American Ballet Theater and danced with companies in Dallas, Chicago, and San Francisco, consulted Light, a neighbor. Further activity she was told, could result in paralysis. Light performed neck surgery on her in March, 1992, and within a month Oppenheimer was back in toe shoes. This winter she will be touring the Northwest and Hawaii as a guest ballerina.
When he's not working, Light finds time to coach Little League (son Mat plays for the Lions), and coaches swimming and diving. And he still likes to play a little golf. On his office wall is a picture of Arnold Palmer, inscribed "to Ken, best wishes." Light was at a medical meeting when he jokingly asked the vice president of a supply company to get him a golf date with the megastar. To Light's delighted surprise, the VP agreed to make the arrangements. "I am going to play with Arnold Palmer," Light said, unable to hide his enthusiasm. "It is a dream come true." | 
