Getting a referral to a spine surgeon
July 21, 2005
If you are a candidate for spinal surgery, the next
obvious step is to ask the physician treating you for
a referral to a spine surgeon. However, this process
may not always be as straightforward as it may sound.
This article includes guidelines to help patients evaluate
their spine surgeon. Read more...
By Peter Ullrich, Jr., MD
When to see a surgeon
for lower back pain
June 21, 2000 (Updated
October 5, 2004)
Many patients with lower back pain wonder if they will need surgery and if and
when they should consult a surgeon. This article reviews a number of symptoms
and considerations regarding when it may be advisable to consult with a spine
surgeon. Read more...
By: Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., MD
Preparing
for your consultation with a spine doctor
December 11, 2001
The better prepared you are for your doctor's visit
the more productive it will be for you and for your
physician. This article includes a comprehensive list
of questions you can expect your doctor to ask you.
Read more...
By: Charles D. Ray, MD
Surgeons
who specialize in spine surgery
Novemeber 4, 2000
Orthopedists and Neurosurgeons perform the overwhelming
majority of spine surgery and frequently extend their
general Orthopedic or Neurosurgical training by participating
in a spine fellowship. Read
more…
By: Philip R. Shalen, MD
How to select a spine surgeon
June 30, 2000
In addition to the usual surgical residency requirements,
both neurosurgery and orthopedic surgery specialties
offer fellowship programs in spine that include an additional
year of training specific to spine surgery. Read
more...
By: Theodore B. Goldstein, MD
Physician directory
Spine-health's directory of physician web pages includes
only spine specialists in spine medicine and provides
you with important information on each doctor's
board certification, training, background, areas
of specialization and contact information. Read
more...
Back Pain Radio Transcript: Choosing the best spine
surgeon for your back pain
Researching common surgical procedures and knowing what
questions to ask your spine surgeon during an interview
can improve your chances of choosing the right specialist
for back surgery. Read what Peter Ullrich, Jr., MD,
an orthopedic spine surgeon and Medical Director of Spine-health.com,
and Grant Cooper, MD, host of Back Pain Radio, had
to say on the June 14, 2005 show. Read
transcript...
Back Pain Radio transcript: Improving patient outcomes in spine medicine
In addition to improved technology and techniques, patient education and integration
of care are substantially improving patient care and outcomes in spine medicine.
Read what Peter Ullrich, Jr., M.D., an orthopedic spine surgeon and Medical
Director of Spine-health.com, and Grant Cooper, M.D., host of Back Pain Radio,
had to say on the March 14, 2005 show. Read
transcript...
Considering spine surgery? What you need to know - Spine-health.com Newsletter
The news that you may need spinal surgery can create many emotions -- hope that you may find more pain relief, fear about the procedure and recovery, and confusion about what to do next. This newsletter presents a series of things patients can do to make the decision-making process about whether to have spine surgery a productive experience. Read more...
Who should treat your back pain? - Spine-health.com Newsletter
Many different specialists treat back pain, and each
has different training, skills and interests. For many
people, it may take more than one type of specialist
to diagnose, treat and rehabilitate their back condition.
This newsletter explains how to evaluate different specialists,
including spine surgeons. Read
more...
Finding the right spine specialist - Spine-health.com Newsletter
When you’re dealing with chronic or ongoing
episodes of back pain or neck pain, sometimes it seems
that half the battle is just finding the right kind of
spine specialist and/or spine surgeon. This newsletter
is intended to help you navigate through the array of
health care professionals who specialize in spine medicine
to help you find a practitioner and/or treatment that
works best for you. Read
more...
Please note that these additional patient resources (such as The Back-to-Back Forum and Newsletters) on Spine-health.com are not peer-reviewed by the Spine-health.com Medical Advisory Board. They are provided as additional resources for patients to learn from the experiences of others and to gain information from our popular newsletters.
