Top Questions to Ask Your Spine Surgeon Before Disc Replacement Surgery for your Neck or Back Condition (and why they are important to ask)
By Ehsan Jazini, MD, Spine Surgeon at Virginia Spine Institute (VSI), Reston, VA.
When you are told you need spine surgery, a million thoughts start running through your mind….but where do you start with your research and questions? Here are some important questions to ask your spine surgeon prior to scheduling your disc replacement surgery.
1. What is the cause of my back/neck pain?
Pain in the spine is caused by one of three things: nerves, discs, or the joints in your spine. Proper and thorough physical exam, radiographs and advanced imaging, and potential nerve studies are needed to determine the cause of your symptoms.
2. Am I too old/young for spine surgery?
For any patient, we always do what is best for them and take into account their age. For example, if a patient has exhausted conservative treatment and will be undergoing surgery on his or her spine, we always prefer to perform minimally invasive or motion preserving motion if possible.
3. Why would my surgeon choose ADR over fusion?
To maintain motion, functionality, faster return to activity, and decrease the potential of adjacent levels from breaking down.
4. How long will it take before I can get back to exercise after disc replacement surgery?
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Typically we recommend you avoid high impact activities for 2–3 weeks post-op after replacement surgery. After that, you can get back to your normal exercise routine.
5. How long will I be in the hospital after disc replacement surgery?
Gone are the days of a week in the hospital after spine surgery. Typically patient’s will stay for less than 24 hours in the hospital so that we can monitor you after surgery. There are times we will send home patients the same day!
6. How bad does my pain have to get before I seek treatment? Is there a harm in waiting it out?
Better to come in sooner. Usually people think they are doing better if the pain improves. However, this can sometimes indicate worsening nerve damage. Therefore coming in sooner for evaluation is best.
7. What non-surgical treatment options can I try to alleviate my back pain before resorting to surgery/can I avoid surgery altogether?
Physical therapy, medications, acupuncture, dry needling, epidural injections, facet injections and regenerative medicine are all options.
8. Are there different methods or technologies used for this surgery? What are they?
Even before surgery is done we are using technology to help us pick the right implant for the patient. Some patients have more flexible spine and some more rigid. We are now using artificial intelligence (AI) software that we have helped develop to better understand the right implant for our patients.
For patients undergoing hybrid surgery, we use AI (robot or augmented reality [AR]) for placement of the implants. We are currently looking into the use of AI and robotics for placement of replacement devices too.
Ehsan Jazini, MD, FACS is a spine surgeon at Virginia Spine Institute in Reston, VA. Learn more about VSI HERE.
