Why You Should See A Specialist For Your Back Pain
Category: Back Pain | Author: Stefano Sinicropi
Back pain is such a common problem that many people believe they can treat the pain on their own or get answers to their questions from their primary care doctor. This is a fine way to handle back pain, but it may not be the best way. Today, we explain why seeing a specialist may be your best bet for treating your spine condition.
Specialty Knowledge
Spine surgeons are a lot like mechanics. If you need an oil change or your tires rotated, you’re fine going to the 20-minute oil change shop near your house. But if something is seriously wrong, you take it to the dealership where mechanics who specialize in fixing your specific type of vehicle can take care of the problem. Your primary care doctor has surface level knowledge of spine injuries, but a spine specialist has a greater breadth and depth of knowledge about all things spine care. Your spine is in better hands with a spine specialist.
Team of Minds
When you’re working with a spine specialist, you’re not just working with one person. A team of specialists and doctors are pouring over your imaging tests and pooling their knowledge to come up with the best solutions to address your issue. You don’t get this level of care from your family practitioner, who is managing a wealth of different patients and conditions.
Specific Diagnosis
Your primary care doctor and a spine specialist can both take imaging scans of your back and even provide you with a diagnosis, but a spine specialist will be better able to spot small details that may get overlooked by a general practitioner. Small details can make a big difference when it comes to the success of your treatment, and a spine specialist is better equipped to spot these details.
Start To Finish Care
If your primary care doctor uncovers an issue with your spine like a herniated disc or spinal tumor that they can’t treat, they refer you to a specialist, and you’ll again undergo imaging tests and diagnostic measures. However, if you begin at a spine specialist, all phases of your care, from diagnostics and prevention to treatment and surgery, will be handled by the same doctor and team. Streamlining your care helps to ensure the effectiveness of your treatment, and can also help take some stress out of the equation.
More Similar Patients
A general practitioner may only see one or two patients a day who are dealing with spine pain, whereas spine specialists only work with patients that have spine pain. This means that a spine specialist has likely seen hundreds of patients with similar symptoms and conditions, and they can draw on that past experience to come up with the best treatment plan for your back. The ability to draw on thousands of previous spine cases gives a spine specialist a leg up on any other medical resource.
General practitioners are wonderful, and they perform an amazing service to society to help patients with a wide variety of conditions, but you may be best suited to visit a spine specialist for your back pain. If you’d like to get in contact with a back specialist in the Twin Cities area, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi today.
