About This Blog:
- Patients’ seeing a spine surgeon for the first time may be reluctant to believe surgery is necessary for their particular condition or injury. In many cases, they may pursue a second opinion or forgo surgery altogether.
- Although Dr. Mark Giovanini of NeuroMicroSpine understands a person’s apprehension to have surgery, he wants patients to realize he wouldn’t recommend something that wasn’t completely necessary or beneficial.
- In this blog, Dr. Mark Giovanini of NeuroMicroSpine explains when spine surgery may be necessary for some conditions over others.
Of the 56 million people in the United States who currently suffer from chronic back pain, only a small percentage need spine surgery. Many doctors estimate the percentage of these individuals’ falls around 5-10%, but it could be larger.
Regardless, Dr. Mark Giovanini of NeuroMicroSpine wants people to understand he wouldn’t recommend a minimally invasive spine procedure if he didn’t think it would be beneficial to the patient.
The stigma and fear surrounding spine surgery may stem from open and highly invasive techniques that were used many years ago. Fortunately, spine surgery has come a long way since then, and patients often undergo same-day procedures with minimal blood loss, less physical complications, and a reduced recovery time.
Although, there are still many physicians out there who continue to perform open spine surgeries. Having said that, it’s important patients ask their current spine surgeon what techniques they perform most and why. Dr. Mark Giovanini only uses the latest techniques and equipment to ensure patients are receiving the best possible care.
Going back to the point of this blog, Dr. Mark Giovanini of NeuroMicroSpine will recommend spine surgery to patients exhibiting serious signs of physical distress and disintegrating health due to a spinal condition, infection, or injury. Patients with severely herniated discs, degenerating spinal discs, and bone loss will likely need to undergo spine surgery to prevent future complications. Unless the situation is life-threatening, patients will generally be provided with other treatment options.
Patients with moderate back pain from a spinal condition or injury may be given recommendations for spine surgery, pain management, or physical therapy. If pain is a patient’s only concern, not their ability to function properly, Dr. Mark Giovanini may refer them to a pain management physician to help combat some of their symptoms. If patients choose this option, they should understand that treatment might need to be sought frequently depending on their case.
In many instances, patients often benefit most from a quick, minimally invasive spine surgery because it provides longer-lasting results. So, when Dr. Giovanini is asked, “When is spine surgery necessary?” more often that not he’ll have to answer: “It depends. Is your condition life threatening? Are you comfortable living in pain for the rest of your life? If you had the opportunity to live pain-free through minimally invasive spine surgery, would you take it?”
For more information on minimally invasive spine surgery or to make an appointment with Dr. Giovanini, please call (850) 934-7545 or visit https://www.neuromicrospine.com/request-appointment.
We hope to see you soon!
The advice and information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.