Spine Surgery: Would You Opt For A Neurosurgeon or An Orthopedic Surgeon ?

It has been observed that you would need a spine surgery to restore your injured back, the most important decision that you would need to make is to choose between a neurosurgeon or an orthopedic surgeon. It has to be stated that the choice of the surgeon is important and here you would need to consider the experience along with the success rate of the surgeon. Let us now understand how to differentiate between both the doctors

If you visit the best neurology hospital in India or get in touch with an orthopedic surgeon you need to understand that both of them are able to perform spine surgery. Once upon a time, the neurosurgeons were only authorized to conduct spine surgery. But with advancements in science along with technologies, orthopedic surgeons in modern times are authorized to conduct spine surgeries as well.

In case of neurosurgeons, there are medically trained specialists who have been part of a training programme for close to 7 years in this domain. They are doctors who specialize to treat the disorders of the brain along with the spinal cord. There is one area of specialty that distinguishes from orthopedic surgeons. They are the only specialists who are authorized to perform any surgery that does occur in the dura region of the brain. For example, if the patient goes on to suffer tumor in the spinal cord or there is any malfunctioning in the spinal cord then the neurosurgeon is the only specialist who has the liberty to undertake the surgery for you.

Orthopedic surgeons, on the other hand, are specialists who have gone on to undertake 5 years of medical specialists in the treatment of conditions pertaining to the joints and bones. It is observed that they focus more on sports injuries or disorders of the brain. There are some specialists who do focus on spinal injuries and for this, they would need a few years of additional education. This is so as they would need to achieve the required specialization in the domain. It is apart from a few specialized surgeries that a neurosurgeon could carry out, the orthopedic doctors are certified to carry out various spine surgeries as well.

When you are about to choose a surgeon for your spine surgery you can opt for an orthopedic or a neurosurgeon since both are adept at conducting the surgeries. What you would need to consider here at this point in time is specialization. For example, some of them are specialized in lumbar disorders whereas others deal with cervical cancer. You would need to verify on what is the number of spinal surgeries they have gone on to perform till day and what are their success rates. A better doctor would have fewer chances of complications which do provide a sense of comfort to the patient as they are able to trust in the surgeon. The precise point is that for spine surgery you would want an experienced surgeon.