Research Is Best First Step To Successful Spine Surgery
If you’re considering spinal surgery, one of the wisest first steps you can take is seeking the opinion of a doctor who has the skill and experience to not only perform the procedure safely and successfully but give you an honest assessment of which procedure (if any) is the best choice for your unique situation.
This is precisely why TheBestDocs.com recently sat with Dr. Stefano Sinicropi, CEO of Midwest Spine & Brain Institute, which has several thriving locations throughout Minnesota. Dr. Sinicropi has personally performed more than 7,400 spine procedures during his distinguished career and is frequently asked to provide his thoughts on best practices for patients.
With this in mind, we asked Dr. Sinicropi to give his expert opinion on key steps for individuals who might be considering spine surgery.
“To start, I firmly believe that one of the first things every patient needs to know is if they should even have spinal surgery,” he explains. “It sounds logical, right? But you would be surprised at how many patients come to my office thinking they know what they need because they spoke with the friend of a friend who had similar back pain.”
It’s not that simple, he asserts: “One of the keys to successfully treating back pain is achieving an accurate diagnosis of the individual’s unique situation and then providing an honest evaluation of what procedure, if any, might solve for the pain.”
Dr. Sinicropi says expert diagnosis is critical because not every patient needs surgery. And if they do need surgery, not every patient needs the same surgery. While that advice might sound strange coming from a man who makes his living as a surgeon, it is a testament to Dr. Sinicropi’s compelling standards and patient-first focus.
“To start, I firmly believe that one of the first things every patient needs to know is if they should even have spinal surgery,” he explains. “It sounds logical, right? But you would be surprised at how many patients come to my office thinking they know what they need because they spoke with the friend of a friend who had similar back pain.”
“The highly complex nature of the spinal column, spinal cord, and spinal nerves requires expert diagnosis in order to appropriately treat the underlying condition to help patients get back to a normal life,” he further explains.
With that in mind, he advises each individual to keep asking questions until they completely understand all of their options. Specifically, he advises patients to ask:
• What specifically is causing my pain?
• What solutions do you offer to remedy this type of pain?
• What solutions do other doctors offer to remedy this type of pain?
• Is surgery the best option? If so, why? If not, why?
Dr. Sinicropi also strongly advises inquiring about the surgeon’s experience. “Don’t be shy about asking how many times the doctor has performed the procedure you need,” he asserts.
Be sure, too, to ask about the surgeon’s current board certification. To earn board certification, the surgeon must go through a rigorous process that tests his or her education and confirms their expertise and skill, and then recertify periodically. Dr. Sinicropi is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and is also a Fellow at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
While back surgery might not be the best approach for every patient, doing your research is always advisable.
