Spine Surgeon

A spine surgeon can be a valuable part of curing back pain once and for all. However, in order to accomplish this, the diagnosis must be correct. There is nothing worse to destroy a patient�s hopes for recovery, than enduring a traumatic back surgery, only to continue experiencing pain. Worse yet, some patients are physically limited post surgery and slip farther into a progressive state of disability. A good spinal surgeon will play an active role in the diagnostic and conservative treatment processes. It is not advised to be operated upon by a surgeon with limited knowledge of your particular case or one who pressures you into immediate surgery.

Spine Surgeon

Qualities of a Good Spine Surgeon

I am pleased to hear that many surgeons advise against spine surgery for many patients. This is the height of medical ethics and morality and should be a model for other medical professionals. Other surgeons will advise the patient to wait as long as possible before attempting surgery as a last resort. These doctors will advise more conservative therapies and consult with the patient�s general orthopedist before considering surgical correction sometime in the future. Once again, this demonstrates a surgeon who is realistic and knowledgeable about the standards of back pain treatment progression.

Avoid This Spine Surgeon�

Any surgeon who uses fear or intimidation to persuade a patient into surgery should not be trusted. This is doubly true if other doctors have not prescribed immediate surgical correction. Very few spinal pain syndromes are surgical emergencies. Often times, a spinal abnormality can become asymptomatic on its own, without any treatment. It is always advisable to wait before undergoing a corrective operation, if at all possible. Cases of dire neurological problems or serious traumatic back injury are obvious exceptions to this rule.

Recommendation on a Spine Surgeon

One of my primary back doctors is an orthopedic surgeon. He treated me, in combination with many other doctors, chiropractors and therapists for many years. Never did he recommend surgery as a good solution for my pain. In the course of consulting with other doctors, I received several recommendations for surgery and one doctor who insisted my case was a medical emergency which required operative intervention immediately. Looking back, I can laugh about it all now, since my pain is long gone. The best part of it all is that the same spinal conditions described as a "medical emergency" still reside in my back to this day, unchanged. Nevertheless, I am pain free. What my life would have become had I acquiesced to the pressure of inappropriate and unnecessary surgery makes me shudder�

Make sure to take your time when deciding whether surgery is appropriate for your condition. Learn the objective facts of your pain and get more than 2 opinions. This way, you will be able to make an informed choice based on the facts, rather than a potentially disastrous decision based upon the whim of one surgeon.
Spine Surgeon to Back Pain Home 7/23/08 Revised 7/25/08