Spinal conditions are congenital and degenerative and may require surgeries. Spinal surgeons are specialists in managing spinal issues through surgical and non-surgical treatments. Spine surgeons are doctors who specialize in treating conditions affecting the spine. Your pain has finally become so severe that you are considering spinal surgery to relieve it. Specialization training may involve a combination of orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons, who are trained and may specialize in spinal procedures. The spine surgeon specializes in treating spine-related conditions. A spine surgeon can either be trained in orthopedics or neurological surgery. Both types of spine specialists receive advanced training in similar surgical procedures before becoming spine surgeons. As a result, most surgeries are performed by either of these specialties.
Who is a Spine Surgeon?
A spine surgeon is an experienced doctor who may be an M.D. or D.O. The spinal specialist has specialization certification and training after post-medical school for spinal surgeries. After medical school, doctors aiming to be spine surgeons undergo an approved residency program. However, orthopedic and neurological surgeons may subspecialize in spinal surgeries.
Moreover, doctors may also complete fellowship training after residency programs. In some complex conditions, there may also be a collaboration between orthopedic and neurological surgeons to carry out a spinal surgery.
Do You Need Spine Surgery?
If you are experiencing any severe injuries or discomfort in the lower spinal area, the first thing to consider must be proper physical evaluation by a primary care physician. The first choice as a treatment is to maintain a quality life with stable physical activities and medications. These medications involve pain management and inflammation-reducing drugs.
However, physical therapies are recommended if there is no improvement in the severity of the condition or the patient is unresponsive to these non-surgical treatments. Spinal injections and home exercises are also considered before surgical treatment. If the issues are still not resolved, spinal surgeries become the need of time.
What Treatments Does A Spine Surgeon Offer?
After proper evaluation and diagnosis, the spine surgeons try to manage the patient’s problems with conventional and non-surgical treatments. Although the main goal is to minimize the chances of surgery, the primary surgical spine procedures available are as follows:
- Laminectomy
- Discectomy
- Foraminotomy
- Spinal Fusion
- Lateral Lumbar Interbody fusion
- Minimally invasive transforaminal interbody fusion
What Conditions Does A Spine Surgeon Treat?
A spine surgeon near me specializes in working on different pain conditions. The individuals get individualized treatment plans from spine surgeons to deliver optimal results and recover fastest. The patients complained about nerve compression, spinal stenosis, fractures, disc herniation, and other related symptoms.
Moreover, other medical complications leading to spinal surgeries include the following
- Medical Diseases
Several autoimmune diseases cause degeneration in the spinal cartilage. The tumors or clots developed in such conditions exert pressure on the spinal nerves and lead to pain.
- Wear and Tear
Any fall or accident leads to deterioration of the spinal structure with time. Such degenerative conditions include herniated discs, arthritis, ruptured discs, and spinal stenosis.
- Congenital
A genetic weakness or spinal problems present by birth in an individual are termed congenital. The congenital conditions include lordosis, kyphosis, spinal deformities, and spinal scoliosis.
- Trauma
Sudden traumas may damage the soft tissues of the spine permanently. These traumas include car accidents, improper lifting, and sports injuries that hurt the back.
Good Qualities Of A Spine Surgeon
While consulting a spine surgeon near me, you may be curious and think about who is the top spine surgeon near me. There are a few concerns related to the best spine surgeon. An expert and specialized spine surgeon must completely grasp the surgery techniques. Moreover, he may possess the following qualities:
- Dedication to patient care
- Focus on excellent outcomes
- Interested to learn new approaches
- Expertise in standard treatment techniques
- A good communicator
- A cooperative individual
At the pain clinic in Fort Worth, you can also consult a spine surgeon without a surgery appointment. The experts at pain and spine clinic gather all the necessary information to prepare a customized treatment plan, including surgical options. Moreover, the treatment approach of a spine surgeon is essential to deciding what type of surgery must be performed.