So, you need spine surgery? Maybe you’ve already been through a conservative treatment plan with your primary care doctor, or you’re just looking for a second opinion on the diagnosis and treatment options. Either way, it’s important that the spine specialist you choose is right for you.
Unfortunately, the choice is a little more complicated than just searching “back doctors near me” and calling it a day. Below are the top four things we recommend you look for when selecting your spine surgeon.
Board certified, fellowship trained doctors
This is how you can determine just how trained your doctor is. Fellowship training is typically an additional year on top of the standard academic and residency training that all medical professionals go through.
Board certification is then an additional layer of testing that a doctor can choose to go through to essentially prove their knowledge in a specific area. While your doctor does not necessarily need both, having at least one of these accolades is a surefire sign that they have an in-depth understanding of their specialty, so you can sleep easy knowing you’re receiving the highest quality of care.
Peer reviewed treatment plans
While going to a highly trained, highly experienced doctor is the first step when seeking out your care, it’s also important to consider how many eyes see the treatment plans.
This is crucial because each medical case differs depending on your age, your condition, symptom severity and more. Each doctor could have seen the same condition react to treatment differently – meaning a broader range of expertise can get you on the road to recovery faster.
That’s why here at Spine Team Texas, we believe that a team of spine experts is better than just one doctor, we take a team approach to all of our patients.
Minimally invasive options versus serious spinal surgeries
For any treatment plan, it’s important to consider the less invasive, and more conservative routes first to limit the recovery time, risk and pain for a patient. If this hasn’t already been a part of your care, then this is step one.
Spine Team Texas is a minimally invasive spine clinic with around 92% of our patients’ pain being rectified without the need for serious surgery or long recovery times – this is because we offer a range of treatments like physical therapy, minimally invasive spine surgeries, and other therapies like Intracept.
Positive reviews from previous patients
When choosing your doctor, it’s important to look at their track record. Whether you’re looking on Google, or something specific to healthcare providers like Vitals.com, it’s critical that you read their reviews. This is where you can get a real feel for the satisfaction levels of their previous patients and wrap your arms around what your treatment plan and experience could look like.
Ultimately, choosing the best spine doctor for your care is a very personal decision that could be based on a range of ideal characteristics, insurance network and medical needs. But taking the time to vet your choices ahead of undergoing any form of treatment is a smart way to ensure an end result you’re happy with.
