Myths About Spine Surgery
My journey so far provided me with opportunities to know and learn from patient’s psychology and perspective about spine surgery
One thing that I noticed in patients with spine problems is that most of them don’t know much about spine related problems other than a few terms like “Sciatica,” “Slip Disc,” and so on.
One of most common misunderstanding is that “spine surgery is impossible.” A patient who is unable to walk, stand, or even sit without pain does not want to undergo spine surgery because he or she believes that the only outcome is paralysis and that spine surgery is never successful.
The thought of spine surgery is enough to put fear in the hearts of most people. This is because of the many myths surrounding the spine surgeries and how the facts have been distorted. Yes, spinal surgery may be a major procedure, but it is a common one that is both safe and has a very high success rate.
Following are the common myths about spine surgery:
All spinal surgeries are severe major procedures
- Although the spine is a huge and complex structure, it does not mean that the surgery is also the same. Many spinal disorders can now be treated with minimally invasive (keyhole) treatments that reduce incision size, reducing the scarring, pain, and the risk of post-operative infection thus allowing for a considerably faster recovery . Even if keyhole surgery is not an option, developments in spinal surgical techniques and procedures, such as computer navigation, intra operative neuro monitoring ,robotic surgery, have made even the most complicated spine surgeries much faster and safer than before.
A spine surgeon will always advise surgery.
This is absolutely false. A spine specialist is focused on treating spinal disorders, and if this can be done without surgery, the doctors will choose that option first. To treat a spinal disorder, lifestyle changes, exercises, and medication may be given initially . Surgery will only be considered if this is not possible or effective. Accepting the prevailing myth that spine surgery is risky can lead to patients avoiding treatments that actually would improve their quality of life.
Surgery is the last resort.
Surgery will be recommended to the patient as the best option , after all tests and examinations, only if spine specialist believes that the best method to treat a particular spinal problem, relieve pain, restore mobility, and assist the patient return to a more active, pain-free, and productive life is surgery. When surgery is the best option, the earlier it is performed, the higher the chances of diagnosing and treating the issue before it worsens, allowing for a faster recovery and return to active life..
Spinal surgery recovery is unbearably painful.
Recovery is long and painful.
- With minimally invasive surgery and other modern procedures, the recovery time after spine surgery has reduced considerably. The time taken will depend on the surgical procedure, so it may be far less than people think in many cases.
Life after spinal surgery will be restricted.
Spine surgery aims to enable the patient to return to the pre-problem quality of life as far as possible. Depending on the nature of the surgery and the patient’s overall health, there may be some restrictions on activities. There will be no restrictions in many cases, except to not take needless risks with the spine, which applies to everyone.
