May 25, 2012
Topics A-Z Pain Management Orthopedic Surgeon or Neurosurgeon for C-Spine surgery?
Orthopedic Surgeon or Neurosurgeon for C-Spine surgery? |
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Dear Ask The Doctor: I have a "c5-c6 spondylosis with a broad based disc herniation and endplate spurring, worse on the right causing mild central stenosis and bilateral foraminal stenosis". Otherwords, the disc buldge causing once "mild" problems(about 17 months) blew now causing me major problems and pain. Been thorugh 38 weeks of PT, OTC meds, facet injections, trigger point injections, etc. I think the next step may be surgery but I am not sure who to see next: a neurosurgeon or otho (spine) surgeon. How do I know I am a candidate for surgery? If I see both, and one says surgery the other says no, whose advise do I weigh more? I would prefer someone at a teaching facility, but what else should I "look" for? Dear Jane: Either a Neurosurgeon or an Orthopaedic Surgeon is capable the same to perform a spinal surgery. The indications for spine surgery are the following: persistent, severe and intractable pain that interferes with your work and daily living activities, ongoing nerve damage by a sustained compression over the time producing radiated pain,weakness or numbness of legs and feet, loss of bowel and/or bladder control, when conservative treatments as PT, OT, and local injections do not work. You can choose a teaching facility depending on where you live, researching that in internet and also choose the kind of physician that you would like to treat you according to his or her medical, academic qualifications and appointments, you can see that in internet too. |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 24 March 2011 ) |
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