Spine Surgery: Do Your Research Before You Commit
Spine surgery is almost always considered the last resort when it comes to managing back or neck pain and other symptoms associated with the deterioration of the spinal anatomy. The risks and potential side effects of spinal fusion, in particular, often are enough to dissuade someone from consenting to highly invasive open back or neck surgery. Even the relatively safe option of a minimally invasive spine procedure should be researched carefully, starting with a conversation with your family doctor. Finally, for spinal conditions that are not going to cause paralysis or put one's life at risk, no one should ever consider spine surgery until all conservative treatment methods have been exhausted.
Finding the Right Surgeon
Once the decision has been made to consider spine surgery, the first thing to do is find out as much as possible about the types of procedures that have been used to successfully treat your particular condition. Factors influencing which surgery will be most successful in your case will include the nature of the degenerative spine condition, its severity, the location of the anatomical abnormality, and your overall health. Your doctor may refer you to a spine specialist who can help determine whether your symptoms can be alleviated using a minimally invasive procedure or if the more-invasive spinal fusion operation is necessary.
Regardless of what type of surgery you choose, you will want to find the best surgical team available. The most important member of that team, of course, is the surgeon. It's best to interview more than one surgeon, asking the following questions of each:
- What experience have you had with this kind of surgery?
- How often is this type of procedure performed at your practice each year?
- Do you have board certification?
- What can you tell me about your spine surgery fellowship?
- Have you received any professional awards? If so, what were they and how recent were they?
- Do you have board certification?
Know the Risks and Side Effects
Another important step in your research is gaining a thorough understanding of the potential side effects and risks of spine surgery. Open back or neck procedures require hospitalization, as well as a large incision and general anesthesia. The recovery period can last up to a year, and there is a risk of infection, fusion hardware failure, bone graft rejection, and internal bleeding. Minimally invasive surgery, on the other hand, usually is performed on an outpatient basis and requires a far shorter period of recuperation than open spine surgery. Talk to your doctor and consider getting a second opinion about which type of procedure might be best for you.
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