Preparing to meet with a spine surgeon or spine
specialist
Meeting with a spine surgeon or spine specialist
Doctor
visits can be intimidating and—especially when
you're in pain—it can be difficult to describe your
situation in a complete, concise and accurate manner.
However, it will serve you well to prepare for questions
your spine surgeon or spine specialist is likely to
ask in advance—this way, you can
avoid feeling like you didn't tell your doctor something
important during the visit. By providing complete and
accurate information you can help your doctor arrive
at an accurate diagnosis of your back problems and
back pain.
During your first visit to a spine specialist or spine
surgeon, a complete medical history will typically
be taken. The physician will then review the history
and related information and collect additional information
during your physical exam.
Explaining back problems and back pain to the spine
specialist
If it is your first visit to the spine specialist
or spine surgeon, you will probably be asked several
questions by the staff about payment, such as if you
have insurance coverage, Medicare, if your injury is
part of a worker's compensation claim, or involved
in litigation or a similar situation. You may be asked
if you will be able to pay for all or a part of your
medical/surgical expenses if it is required.
It is important to be ready to answer the questions
your doctor will ask or to fill in the details if and
when asked. Basically, the better prepared you are
for your spine specialist’s visit the more productive
it will be for you and for your physician.
Tips for how to respond to the spine specialist’s
questions:
-
Be prepared to talk to the spine surgeon or
spine specialist—read the list of questions
in this article and be prepared to respond to them
succinctly and accurately. Some people find it
helps to write out their answers ahead of time,
and to write out the questions they need to ask
the doctor as well.
-
Be complete but brief when explaining to the
doctor—be sure not to leave out any important
points about your back pain situation, but try
to be as concise and to the point as possible.
-
Be honest with the spine specialist or spine
surgeon—the doctor is more likely to
be able to help you if you provide candid information
about your back pain and back problems. If some
questions do not apply, cannot be answered or
are too sensitive for you, be prepared to respond
if asked—why? Privacy will always be preserved
but some sensitive details may be very important
to your diagnosis and care.
The following list of possible questions relate to
issues that are important to your spine doctor in determining
the diagnosis and type of care to be recommended for
your back pain and back problems. Informed patients
who can accurately and succinctly describe their situation
to the physician play a critical role sharing in decision-making
for their medical care.
The following and more questions might be asked in
person or on a questionnaire sheet by the doctor.
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