I am travelling from Halifax NS to Ottawa ON this Thursday to see an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in adult scoliosis. The wait time in NS is over a year so that's why I'm going to Ottawa. I have a 45 degree lumbar curve and I just got the results of my thoracic xray which shows an even more severe curve but has not been measured yet.
Anyway my question is, if I have to have surgery, should it be done by a neurosurgeon or an orthopedic surgeon? I've been given advice that most orthopedic surgeons don't specialize in backs or scoliosis and I should really have the surgery performed by a neurosurgeon who obviously deals with backs on a very regular basis. I am nervous about my appointment Thursday because I'm pretty sure he's going to recommend surgery. And if I do have to have it, I'm going to be terrified. I will not allow a surgeon to even come near me unless he's done a LOT of back surgeries with excellent results. Problem is, living in NS doesn't present me with a whole lot of options. Any opinions on orthopedic vs neurosurgeons?
Anyway my question is, if I have to have surgery, should it be done by a neurosurgeon or an orthopedic surgeon? I've been given advice that most orthopedic surgeons don't specialize in backs or scoliosis and I should really have the surgery performed by a neurosurgeon who obviously deals with backs on a very regular basis. I am nervous about my appointment Thursday because I'm pretty sure he's going to recommend surgery. And if I do have to have it, I'm going to be terrified. I will not allow a surgeon to even come near me unless he's done a LOT of back surgeries with excellent results. Problem is, living in NS doesn't present me with a whole lot of options. Any opinions on orthopedic vs neurosurgeons?
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