Your back is one of the most critical parts of your body, with your spine being the center of it all. If that area of the body goes even slightly out of whack, the pain that results can be almost too much to bear. A misaligned or damaged spine impacts your ability to walk, lie down, and even sit.
Your daily activities suffer as a result, and you will wonder how you will ever find relief. Having spine surgery is not something that any of us looks forward to, but it is a necessity if your back has become problematic. Because of the seriousness of this surgery, it is important to carefully consider who you allow being your spine surgeon Continue reading to learn more about this important topic.
Education Matters
When it comes to spinal surgery, knowledge truly is king. The spine region of the body is comprised of an entire network of ligaments, nerves, and bones. This is your body’s central nervous system and it largely controls the signals that are sent to your brain. Because of its complexity, you will want a surgeon who is highly knowledgeable in this area in order to maximize the potential for success in the end.
When you are considering a surgeon, you can put your mind at rest when you conduct a great deal of research. Do not be afraid to conduct searches to determine the educational background of your prospective surgeon. You will also want to look at what type of training they underwent and how extensive it was.
The specialty of the surgeon also matters. This should be the main type of surgery that they perform. In other words, you want a surgeon who routinely performs spinal surgeries, as that indicates a great deal of experience and first-hand knowledge is under their belt. If you went to, for example, dr timothy steel, the knowledge that he has performed over 2000 spinal surgeries should give you confidence that you will be safe in his hands. You will also want to make sure that your surgeon keeps up to date on the latest technology in the field, such as minimally invasive techniques that have recently become available.
You will want to look for someone, for example, like Dr. Gerald Alexander locally, who has helped pioneer cutting-edge techniques for Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery alternatives to traditional spine surgery. As technology advances, so have the ways in which spinal injuries are treated. You want to make sure that your chosen surgeon is on the cutting edge of this. You can usually find out about their experience and techniques with a look at their website.
Experience is Important
While every surgeon must get their start somewhere, you do not want someone operating on your spine if it is their first time doing so. It is simply too important of an operation. Experience can impact the eventual outcome. Complications arise more frequently after surgeries performed by physicians who have performed fewer than fifteen surgeries.
Make sure you take a detailed look at their experience and the reported outcomes of their surgeries before you select your surgeon. With experience comes a reduction in the reported number of complications. Patients are also better screened, and physicians will only select you as a candidate if they are confident at the chances of success. There are also lower reported rates of infection with experienced surgeons, and the length of stay in the hospital is decreased as well.
These are all issues that should be important to you, so you will want to look for a spinal surgeon who is experienced and ready to deliver a successful outcome to you.
Locating the Right Surgeon For You
In the end, you want to make sure that you feel comfortable with the surgeon that you select. If you just do not seem to connect with one particular physician, you will want to keep searching. This is your operation, so you have the right to continue your search until you find just the right fit for you.
You will want to uncover how many times the surgeon has performed this same procedure, and what the rate of complications has been to this point. This will give you some indication as to their overall success rate. While no surgeon can guarantee success, you can at least gain some peace of mind by learning about their rates of infection and other matters. It is important that you feel comfortable, as this will help along the process.
Take your time in selecting your surgeon. If you know others who have had the operation, ask them for referrals. In the end, it is your decision.
