Spine Surgeon

Specialists Who Treat Back Pain

spine-health — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:55:42 -0800

There are many types of health practitioners that care for patients with spinal conditions, and each has a slightly different role. Selection of the most appropriate type of health professional—or team of health professionals—largely depends on the patient’s symptoms and the length of time the symptoms have been present.

When to See a Surgeon for Spinal Stenosis

Ben Parr — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:57:28 -0800

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Treatment and Surgery

Ben Parr — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:15:38 -0800

Suffering from Spinal Stenosis?

Visit the Spinal Stenosis Clinical Trials section for the latest developments.

Once a doctor has made a conclusive diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis, non-surgical or surgical treatment should be implemented, depending on the severity of the spinal stenosis.

Back Pain and Doctors: When To Call a Doctor

Ben Parr — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:24:04 -0800

The bottom line that everyone should remember is that if one is in doubt, consult a doctor. If back pain is getting worse over time, does not feel better with rest and over the counter pain remedies, and/or involves neurological symptoms then it is advisable to be evaluated by a back pain doctor.

Specialty Care Physicians and Pain Management

spine-health — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:55:42 -0800

Spine Surgeons—Orthopedists and Neurosurgeons
Physiatrist (M.D. or D.O)
Anesthesiologist (M.D. or D.O.)
Neurologist (M.D. or D.O)
Rheumatologist (M.D. or D.O)

Integrated Spine Clinics for Back Pain Treatment

spine-health — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:55:41 -0800

An integrated spine clinic brings together many of the different spine specialists to work collaboratively in one clinic. For example, it is becoming more common for orthopedic spine surgeons to work with neurosurgeons, invasive physiatrists to work with anesthesiologists and neuroradiologists in a pain clinic, and chiropractors to work with physical therapists.

Benefits of integrated spine clinics for back pain

Ideally, the integration of spine care affords several benefits for the patient and back pain treatment:

Finding the Right Spine Specialist

spine-health — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:55:41 -0800

Dear Spine-Health Member,

When you’re dealing with chronic or ongoing episodes of back pain/neck pain, sometimes it seems that half the battle is just finding the right kind of spine specialist to diagnose and treat your pain.

Should you go to a chiropractor or a medical doctor? When is it time to see a specialist instead of your primary care doctor? What type of spine specialist should you consult? When should you get advice from a spine surgeon?

Pain Management Specialists

spine-health — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:55:40 -0800

Health professionals in many fields have completed specialized training in pain management. Currently, there is no single field of medicine or health care that represents the preferred approach to pain management. Indeed, the premise of pain management is that a highly multidisciplinary approach is essential.

Pain management specialists are most commonly found in the following disciplines:

More Pain Management Info

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When to See a Surgeon for Low Back Pain

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:03:20 -0800

Almost everyone will experience at least one episode of acute low back pain at some point in his or her life. While these episodes can be extremely painful and cause significant disruption in one’s life, most episodes of low back pain will get better with time (about 2 to 12 weeks) and non-surgical care.
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How to Select a Spine Surgeon

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:03:17 -0800

Top Back Surgery Topics:

Back/Neck Surgery Intro

Microdiscectomy

Lumbar Laminectomy

Cervical Spine Surgery

Lumbar Spinal Fusion
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Getting a Referral to a Spine Surgeon

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:03:17 -0800

Introduction to spine surgeon referrals
For patients who are candidates for spinal surgery, the next obvious step is for them to ask their treating physician for a referral to a spine surgeon. However, getting a referral to an appropriate spine surgeon may not always be as straightforward as it may sound.
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Choosing the Best Spine Surgeon for Your Back Pain

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:03:17 -0800

Peter Ullrich, MD
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Specific Questions to Ask Your Spine Surgeon

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:03:17 -0800

There are several questions you can ask a spine surgeon to help you more thoroughly understand your prospective surgery and instill confidence in your selection of a surgeon. You can compare your surgeon’s specific answers with the general overview of the surgical procedure provided in the Overview of surgery.

Questions before choosing surgery:

What is the specific anatomic lesion being addressed?

What is the natural course of the condition if left untreated?
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Present Back Problems to the Spine Specialist or Spine Surgeon

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:03:15 -0800

Description of back pain and back problems
You will probably be asked by the spine specialist or spine surgeon to describe your symptoms in as much detail as possible, with questions such as:

How long have you had your present spine or back problem?

What is your main spine problem? Neck, arm(s), mid back, lower back, buttock and/or leg(s)?

How and when did your back problem start?

What always makes your back problem worse? What always makes it better (even if only a little)?
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Medical and Family History to Present to a Spine Surgeon or Spine Specialist

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:03:15 -0800

Top Back Surgery Topics:

Back/Neck Surgery Intro

Microdiscectomy

Lumbar Laminectomy

Cervical Spine Surgery

Lumbar Spinal Fusion
read more

If You Need to See a Spine Surgeon for Your Back Pain

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:03:15 -0800

Expectations from spine surgery
If it is determined that you might need back surgery, the physician will probably ask you questions about what you expect to obtain from the surgery. For example:

Top Back Surgery Topics:

Back/Neck Surgery Intro

Microdiscectomy

Lumbar Laminectomy

Cervical Spine Surgery
read more

Choosing the Best Spine Surgeon for Your Back Pain Relief - Patients' Advice

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:03:12 -0800

Back-to-Back

Patients share advice about choosing the best spine surgeon for your back pain relief
In this section patients share their insights into how they chose the right back surgeon for their back pain relief, including seeking a second opinion, using the internet to research a surgeon, and what they are most (or least) pleased with in the surgeon they chose.
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Issues to Consider Before Having Artificial Disc Surgery

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:00:24 -0800

More Disc Replacement Info

Lumbar Disc Replacement

Cervical Disc Replacement

Spinal Disc Pain

Back and Neck Surgery
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Who Should Treat Your Back Pain?

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 23:57:44 -0800

Everyday we get e-mails from people asking us what type of doctor they should see for their back pain. Our answer is almost always "it depends". Many different specialists treat back pain, and each has different training, skills and interests. For many people, it may take more than one type of specialist to diagnose, treat and rehabilitate their back condition.
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Isthmic Spondylolisthesis: Surgeon Viewpoint

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:56:33 -0800

This patient presents a long-standing isthmic spondylolithesis. His pain is well described as occurring in the L5 nerve root-pain and weakness in his big toe. An important part of his history is the extent to which this limits his activities. It is unreasonable for a healthy 43-year-old to be only able to walk 100 feet, when there are means to treat the underlying problem.

As in most instances, one can either entertain non-operative or surgical options. The nonsurgical treatments however are less likely to have long term benefit.
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Sciatica: Surgeon Viewpoint

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:52:48 -0800

Based on the studies history and physical exam, this would not be a good patient for a surgical candidate. The MRI scan does not show much in the way of any nerve root pinching from either a disc herniation or stenosis. Although the L5-S1 axial scans are not shown, this scan also does not show any nerve root pinching. He actually has quite a patent canal. Also his pain is both when sitting and standing, and stenotic pain is usually just with prolonged standing or walking. Lastly, the epidurals helped a bit, but not dramatically.
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Degenerative Disc Disease: Spine Surgeon Viewpoint

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:23:07 -0800

Treatment of patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease is largely dependent on the length of time the patient has had symptoms and the amount of pain and disability. For the first three to six months, conservative treatment is usually recommended. For patients with severe pain, epidural injections can be used to try to decrease the inflammation in the area around the damaged disc.
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Should I See a Doctor for Back Pain?

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:16:23 -0800

Pain is our friendliest enemy -- it keeps us out of trouble even though it often seems to actually be the problem.

The body ‘locates’ pain near the surface quite well but has trouble indicating the source when the pain is deep. Pain from deep injuries, diseases or infections of organs, such as the heart, stomach, lungs and back may seem to come from somewhere else nearby or may radiate into multiple places. Intense pain may be more localizing but not always.
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