nuerosurgeon vs. orthopedic surgeon?

[scoliosisguy]

What exactly does a neurosurgeon specialize in?


What is the difference between neurosurgeon,orthopedic surgeon,etc.?

What type of surgeon or specialist title would be best suited to deal with my scoliosis?

I so far have seen a nuerosurgeon,who is very blunt,stating only thing I can do is have a complete spinal fusion,and after having that he states I will be disbaled and not be able to work anymore.He say he does not believe in pain meds and that there is nothing else I can do really to control pain.Am I possibly seeing wrong type of surgeon for this or is nuerosurgeon correct for scoliosis. I am an adult who has a 30 degree lumbar scoliosis,caused by a malformed L-3 vertabrae at birth. One side of the bad vertabrae is pinching nerve,other side is causing damage to disc.Nuerosurgeon said to me that my mri,xray pictures look terrible.He said it is a matter of time until I will be disabled.

I want to get a few more opinions before readily accetping this,but want to see the correct type of specialist,or best suited type of specialist to accurately assess my condition.

[LindaRacine]

Hi ScoliosisGuy...

In general, neurosurgeons work on nerves; orthopaedic surgeons work on bones. Neurosurgeons aren't routinely trained to perform complex spinal deformity surgery, so whomever you choose, make sure that they routinely perform scoliosis surgeries.

I don't have any way of knowing if what you're being told is correct, but I would strongly urge you to get a second opinion. You can find a list of scoliosis specialists here:

http://www.srs.org/directory/directory.asp

Regards,
Linda

[scoliosisguy]

http://www.spineuniverse.com/displayarticle.php/article2471.html

[Wakatie]

I agree! Get a second opinion, and if you don't like it, get a third opinion! You shouldn't have to resign to knowing you will be disabled at some point, with nothing you can do about it. From reading that very helpful article scoliosisguy posted, I think the crucial thing is finding a surgeon who has experience with your specifically ailment, rather than worrying about orthopedics versus neruo. I think that a different surgeon may say that some sort of surgery could give you better hopes for the future.

Good luck! I'm sorry to hear about your frustrating experiences with the doctor you are currently seeing.

[ScoliGal]

yeah get another opinion -- i just had surgery with a doc and he was my fourth opinion!!

[Gail]

Hello Scoliosis Guy,

Interesting...thanks for the link.

Kindest Regards,
Gail