Dr. Stefano Sinicropi, M.D.

We’ll never shy away from a tough prognosis or a complex back issue, but it should come as no surprise that some spinal patients are easier to treat than others. After meeting a patient and performing an exam, we can oftentimes get a pretty good idea how hard it will be to help a patient find a solution for their spinal problem. In today’s blog, we spotlight five traits of the most difficult spine pain patients to treat.

The Hardest Back Pain Patients To Treat

While a complex condition like severe scoliosis or a malignant spinal tumor are obviously difficult conditions to treat, for the sake of this blog, we are going to focus on controllable patient factors that make it harder for us to help a person find the relief they seek. With that in mind, here’s a look at some patient-specific factors that can make it difficult to achieve the best treatment results for whatever back pain ailment they are dealing with:

1. The Quiet Patient– We can tell a lot about your spine from a physical examination and imaging tests, but those rarely tell the full story. We want to hear about your issues from you. We want to know when symptoms develop, how long they persist, what actions make them worse and how the issue is affecting your life. We also want to learn about your treatment preferences and your recovery goals so that we can develop a recovery program tailored to your needs and your life. Don’t just sit silently and expect the doctor to fix everything.
2. The Lazy Patient– Don’t expect to just lay in bed all day and magically recover from your spine issue. Even if your doctor performs a surgical correction, you’re going to need to put plenty of work in on your own to make the strongest recovery. The patient who skips physical therapy exercises or only gives the minimum effort during their session is likely to be a patient that is difficult to please, because they are their own worst enemy in terms of making the fullest recovery.
3. The Prescription Patient– We want to work with patients who are willing to take on an active role in their recovery, and as we mentioned above, that’s not going to happen with rest and medications alone. If we get the sense that a patient is only in our office because they are hoping to receive a passive painkiller medication, we know they are looking for a short-term fix for a long-term problem, and that’s going to be difficult to manage. Whenever we prescribe painkillers, they are always paired with active interventions like exercise, PT or stretching programs.
4. The “Put It Off Too Long” Patient– We deal with a number of patients who think that the best way to manage their back issue is to just grit their teeth and get comfortable being uncomfortable. By the time they present to our office, their condition is in a pretty progressed state, which will undoubtedly make effective treatment much harder to come by. We will do our best to provide you with the best treatment plan, but we’d prefer it if you came into our office before your condition progressed to this point.
5. The Late Patient– Look, we get it. Doctors aren’t always on time for appointments, and that can be extremely frustrating as a patient. However, we strive to give every patient the time and attention they deserve, and while that can sometimes make appointments run behind schedule, so does the late patient. If you show up for your 10:00 a.m. appointment at 10:07 a.m. and need another 20 minutes to check in and fill out required paperwork, the doctor and every patient behind you is now going to be behind schedule. We know that it’s a tough ask to request that you be on time when the doctor isn’t always on time, but falling behind may not be the doctor’s fault, so do your part to help the doctor and the rest of the patients stay on schedule by arriving a little early to ensure you are totally ready by the time your appointment time arrives.

We’ll give you the best care possible even if you end up falling into one or more of the above categories, but make life a little easier on yourself by trying to avoid some of these patient habits! For more information about back issues or spine treatment plans, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.

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