Spinal surgery can be one of the biggest decisions of your life. For this reason, it’s very important you prepare properly for your upcoming spinal surgery by following the tips below to best determine what’s best for you. Without following these steps, you run the risk of not choosing the right path for your future health and overall success when it comes to resolving your spinal issues. Read on to discover how to best go about preparing for spinal surgery with our brief, yet informative guide.
Identifying the Cause of Your Pain
You know your body best and when it comes to diagnosing an issue within your spine, it may be caused by something outside of the spinal cord area. With this in mind, it’s important to recall and provide details of any past events which you believe may have contributed to your spine pain. Did you have knee surgery back in the day which never fully healed and now causes you to walk with a gait? This could be causing your back and spine to be misaligned. Even with a spinal surgery, you may end up redeveloping the same problem a couple of years later due to not addressing the knee problem as well. So be sure to really think about any and all past injuries to better assist your doctor with diagnosing and treating your spine issue fully when the time for surgery comes along.
Obtaining a Referral to a Board-Certified Surgeon
A proper referral form one of your trusted doctors can be a great way to seek out the right spine specialists for your unique needs. There are great spine surgeons and bad spine surgeons, much like any other industry. The important thing to remember is “going with your gut”, regardless of whether the referral comes from a trusted source. You know what’s best for you.
Be Prepared for the Initial Consultation
Preparing yourself with a list of questions for your first initial visit can help you determine if the spinal surgeon is right for you. It can be a very stressful time when you’re contemplating having spinal surgery, so it’s best to have your thoughts and questions written down so you’re properly prepared when you first see the doctor. Be sure to ask every question you have and if they become frustrated or annoyed by your questioning, it’s probably best to move on to someone else who spends quality time with their patients to reassure them every step of the way.
Personally Evaluate the Referred Spinal Surgeon
After you’ve obtained a referral from a trusted medical professional of your own, you’ll want to do some independent research on your own. While reviews are a great place to start, you’ll also want to look into the spinal surgeon’s success rates for your particular surgery. This data can be extremely helpful when it comes to determining if the spinal surgeon is right for you and your condition.
Confirm Your Decision to Have Spinal Surgery
Spinal surgery is a serious procedure, yet with the right research, and the right data, and the right level of care provided by said surgeon; you’ll be able to go into your surgery with less worry and be very comfortable knowing you’re in good hands. Here at Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants, we encourage all of our prospective patients to reach out to us with any questions they may have or schedule an appointment using the form below. We’ll be sure to respond to your inquiry as soon as possible. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
DISCLAIMER: No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.