Back Surgery and Neck Surgery Overview
Spine surgery is never and should never be done for exploration.
Spine surgery is never and should never be done for exploration.
In most cases (and we’re talking more than 90-95% of the time), patients will improve enough with physiotherapy and not need surgery at all. The #1 reason of any back or neck (spinal) surgery is to correct any anatomical issues in individuals who does not improve with non-surgical treatments (such as spinal physiotherapy).
Like what we tell all our patients first, surgery is considered the last option when all other options are not viable or hasnt worked. Another reason is if the issue is so severe that surgery is required to
- stabilize the structure
- remove a painful / risky structure
- decrease pain overall
Such as in fixing anatomy, for example a disc herniation or a fracture. Ie surgery with very specific focus and outcomes in mind; and not exploratory surgery. Why exploratory surgery isn’t usually highly weighted is because the risk of injury may significantly outweigh the potential health or surgical benefit.
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Some advancements in spinal surgery
Yes, modern back and neck surgery techniques and implants has definitely improved over the past couple of decades, but the biggest improvement is really better imaging machines and techniques.
In the past, diagnostic imaging technology was not strong, so there were much more grainy/blurry imaging which as you can imagine, makes it very difficult to identify issues. But with the clear images today, surgeon can quickly diagnose and perform more accurate surgeries before the surgery is done.
This means higher and better surgical outcomes as we’re simply more prepared.
In fact, let’s talk about the MRI. Yes, the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scan) – this itself has revolutionized back surgery. Within 60 minutes, both the doctor and the patient can pinpoint with 99% accuracy the culprit (anatomical issues or lesions) that cause the problems.
The most crucial factor in determining how successful a surgery is gonna be is pretty much how good the pre-operative diagnosis. Without an accurate diagnosis, it’s hard to get a good positive outcome. With an accurate one, it’s pretty much good-to-go.
Next off, there are more specializations within medical. Now there are not just orthopedic surgeons, but we have sub-specialties too. Say in orthopedic practice, one can specialize in:
- spine (back and neck)
- shoulder
- elbow
- wrist, hand and fingers
- hip
- knee
- ankle and foot
So a patient with a spinal condition, instead of seeing a general orthopedic surgeon, they can choose a spine orthopedic doctor which has both more training in spinal conditions and management, but equally important, is more experience with patients with spine. These are very powerful factors determining higher diagnostic accuracy and clinical outcomes.
What are some good reasons for spine surgery
Only a very small segment of spine surgeries are emergency and traumatic, which does happen and usually happens either due to
- traumatic accidents such as motorvehicle accidents, animal attacks etc
- sports injuries
Most back and neck surgeries are typically elective, meaning that it’s an option to help patients enhance their movement, function and decrease pain experience.
Note: even if spinal surgeries are elective, that doesnt mean that it’s not covered under health insurance.
Elective surgery can be medically necessary, just that it’s a matter of “when”, ie it’s not that urgent. Unlike traumatic spinal surgeries which can be life-and-death situations or simply need-to-do-now due to fractures or injuries.
Spine surgery can basically accomplish three tasks:
- Decompress a nerve root or the spinal cord
- Stabilize an unstable or painful segment with spinal fusion surgery
- Reduce a deformity (e.g. scoliosis surgery in the thoracic spine).
Spine surgery is never and should never be done for exploration.
In most cases (and we’re talking more than 90-95% of the time), patients will improve enough with physiotherapy and not need surgery at all. The #1 reason of any back or neck (spinal) surgery is to correct any anatomical issues in individuals who does not improve with non-surgical treatments (such as spinal physiotherapy).
Like what we tell all our patients first, surgery is considered the last option when all other options are not viable or hasnt worked. Another reason is if the issue is so severe that surgery is required to
- stabilize the structure
- remove a painful / risky structure
- decrease pain overall
Such as in fixing anatomy, for example a disc herniation or a fracture. Ie surgery with very specific focus and outcomes in mind; and not exploratory surgery. Why exploratory surgery isn’t usually highly weighted is because the risk of injury may significantly outweigh the potential health or surgical benefit.
Some advancements in spinal surgery
Yes, modern back and neck surgery techniques and implants has definitely improved over the past couple of decades, but the biggest improvement is really better imaging machines and techniques.
In the past, diagnostic imaging technology was not strong, so there were much more grainy/blurry imaging which as you can imagine, makes it very difficult to identify issues. But with the clear images today, surgeon can quickly diagnose and perform more accurate surgeries before the surgery is done.
This means higher and better surgical outcomes as we’re simply more prepared.
In fact, let’s talk about the MRI. Yes, the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scan) – this itself has revolutionized back surgery. Within 60 minutes, both the doctor and the patient can pinpoint with 99% accuracy the culprit (anatomical issues or lesions) that cause the problems.
The most crucial factor in determining how successful a surgery is gonna be is pretty much how good the pre-operative diagnosis. Without an accurate diagnosis, it’s hard to get a good positive outcome. With an accurate one, it’s pretty much good-to-go.
Next off, there are more specializations within medical. Now there are not just orthopedic surgeons, but we have sub-specialties too. Say in orthopedic practice, one can specialize in:
- spine (back and neck)
- shoulder
- elbow
- wrist, hand and fingers
- hip
- knee
- ankle and foot
So a patient with a spinal condition, instead of seeing a general orthopedic surgeon, they can choose a spine orthopedic doctor which has both more training in spinal conditions and management, but equally important, is more experience with patients with spine. These are very powerful factors determining higher diagnostic accuracy and clinical outcomes.
What are some good reasons for spine surgery
Only a very small segment of spine surgeries are emergency and traumatic, which does happen and usually happens either due to
- traumatic accidents such as motorvehicle accidents, animal attacks etc
- sports injuries
Most back and neck surgeries are typically elective, meaning that it’s an option to help patients enhance their movement, function and decrease pain experience.
Note: even if spinal surgeries are elective, that doesnt mean that it’s not covered under health insurance.
Elective surgery can be medically necessary, just that it’s a matter of “when”, ie it’s not that urgent. Unlike traumatic spinal surgeries which can be life-and-death situations or simply need-to-do-now due to fractures or injuries.
Spine surgery can basically accomplish three tasks:
- Decompress a nerve root or the spinal cord
- Stabilize an unstable or painful segment with spinal fusion surgery
- Reduce a deformity (e.g. scoliosis surgery in the thoracic spine).
Spine surgery is never and should never be done for exploration.
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