Choosing a Spinal Fusion Doctor Baltimore

Spinal fusion is a surgery to join one or more of the small bones that make up the spinal column, called vertebrae, into a single piece of bone.  This is done by placing bone grafting material in the spine at the point or points where the fusion is desired. The purpose is for the spinal fusion doctor Baltimore to create more stability in the spine and stop the compression of nerve structures exiting the spinal cord and leading to the extremities of the body.  When vertebrae are injured, or break down due to a degenerative bone disease, nerve structures that get compressed can cause very severe back pain, as well as mild to extreme discomfort in the extremities to which they provide sensation.

Find the Right Spinal Fusion Doctor Baltimore MD

While spinal fusion Baltimore is a very safe orthopedic surgery, it does carry a fairly high risk of clinical failure.  This simply means that a pretty high percentage of surgeries fail to provide significant pain relief for the patient.  For this reason, it is important to thoroughly explore qualifications and past performance when choosing a surgeon.

These are some important points to consider:

• The surgeon should be board certified in orthopedic surgery, and have special training in surgeries of the spine.
• Patients choosing surgeons who are affiliated with a hospital having the ability to wrap around other needed services often feel more supported and have better outcomes.  Accessing physical and occupational therapy and other needed professional services all in one place allows coordination to be easier, with mistakes and oversights in the comprehensive treatment plan occurring less frequently.
• Statistics concerning the surgeon's performance on past surgeries should be readily provided upon request.  These should reflect any procedure mortalities, as well as clinical failures and patient satisfaction rates.  Of course, the total number of procedures performed by the surgeon in the past year should be disclosed.
• While learning information about the surgeon is important, there is probably nothing more important than a face-to-face meeting.  This meeting will indicate how the doctor values individual patients, and how seriously they take the task of relieving their pain.