Spinal fusion surgery advices with Dr. Serge Obukhoff right now? What is the difference between a neurologist and a neurosurgeon? Other healthcare providers often consult neurosurgeons due to their extensive training on the nervous system. A neurologist is a medical doctor who diagnoses, treats and manages conditions that affect your nervous system (brain, spinal cord and nerves). A neurologist doesn’t perform surgery. A neurosurgeon diagnoses and treats nervous system conditions through both surgical and nonsurgical therapies. See more details at Serge Obukhoff MD.
What makes this a special place is that, due to its collaborative nature, if someone comes in to see one of our surgeons and that surgeon is not the perfect fit for that person, we can reach across our vast network to find the surgeon that is right for them. We have such a broad range of expertise here we can always find surgeon that is the right fit for each individual. They offers an array of traditional and minimally invasive surgical treatment options for the spine.
What are some types of back surgery? NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) lists the following as some of the surgical options for low back pain. But NINDS also cautions that “there is little evidence to show which procedures work best for their particular indications.” Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. These procedures are used to repair compression fractures of the vertebrae caused by osteoporosis. Both procedures include the injection of a glue-like bone cement that hardens and strengthens the bone.
Whether minimally invasive or traditional, the goals are the same for the long-term; we want to accomplish overall improvement in symptoms or a halt in degeneration. Ultimately, we want our procedures to result in less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, lower infection rates and faster recovery in the weeks following surgery. Minimally invasive surgery typically results in an easier recovery process for patients, however, not every patient or surgical condition is appropriate for minimally invasive surgery. It is important that you partner with your spine surgeon to identify the best treatment option for your condition.
Even with a successful surgery, the recovery time can be long. Depending on the type of surgery and your condition before the surgery, healing may take months. And you may lose some flexibility permanently. What are the considerations for anesthesia during surgery? Back surgery will almost always be performed under general anesthesia. In addition to the usual risks associated with anesthesia, there are risks associated with the patient lying face down on the surgical table.