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Questions to Ask Your Spine Surgeon

1. Can you tell me about your education, including residency programs, internships and possible fellowships for advanced training? Did you receive additional training in neurology and/or neurosurgery?

2. What is wrong with my spine?

3. Is this a condition you focus on in your practice?

4. Will diagnostic tests offer conclusive evidence of my back conditions?

5. What are the benefits and risk associated with treatment?

6. Will my back condition progressively worsen over time if I postpone treatment?

7. What will the proposed treatment not correct?

8. What type of technologies and techniques are required to perform the procedure?

9. How do these technologies and techniques compare with alternatives to the proposed procedure?

10. How many times have you performed the procedure?

11. What have the result been like for your patients? Do you track patient results over time?

12. What can I expect my recovery to entail?

13. How long will the recovery time frame require compared to alternative procedures?

14. Has the treatment provider had their skills reviewed by a peer group as occurs in the criteria for hospital privileges?

15. How long can I expect the results to last?

16. Will I require a secondary procedure to maintain the benefit from treatment? How often?

17. Are there any types of daily activities or treatments I should stay away from? If so, why?

18. If I experience a complication, will you be overseeing my care or will I be referred to another specialist?

19. What type of support can I expect to receive after treatment?

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