If you’ve been referred to a spine specialist, or you’re frustrated with your lack of improvement at the hands of your primary care physician, you may be wondering how you should approach this first visit with a spine specialist. Many people come in with little more than their referral forms, but our favorite patients come ready with much more. They have goals and expectations already in place, and they adjust based on our diagnosis, recommendations and feedback. In today’s blog, we teach you how to become one of those patients by explaining five goals we hope you’ll try to set before you come into our clinic.
5 Goals To Keep In Mind Before Your Consult
We don’t expect you to have detailed expectations, but at the same time, we’re going to broach these subjects and more during our consultation, so it’s beneficial to you to have given them some thought ahead of time. Here are five goals to set or consider:
- Answer The Question – “Why Are You Here?” – We know that you’re here because you’re having back pain, but really try to provide a better answer to the question. Are you here because previous treatments haven’t worked? Because you’ve had a recurrence of back pain? Because surgery left you with unaddressed pain? Because you were unsatisfied with a level of care you received from another doctor or clinic? Because you need help with a complex spinal issue? We can better help you if we know the true and full reason for your visit.
- What Do You Hope To Achieve With Treatment? – In a perfect world, treatment would return you to perfect health, but there’s no guarantee that will happen based on your condition. Instead, try to focus on areas of your life where back pain has become problematic, and tell the doctor how you hope treatment affects your lifestyle. Do you want to be able to run three miles without back pain? Do you just want to be able to sleep better at night? Really examine how back pain is affecting your quality of life, and set goals for how we can help you improve it.
- Managing Pain Meds – Some people are adamant that they need pain medication, while others will do everything in their power to avoid an opioid. An individual diagnosis and assessment is needed, but if you are uncomfortable taking an opioid or you or a family member have had a past problem with opioids, talk with your doctor about your concerns so that we can best help you manage your discomfort in line with your wishes.
- Are You Willing To Have Surgery? – Most people want to avoid surgery if at all possible, and while we always like to try conservative routes if possible, start thinking about whether or not you’d be open to a surgical procedure. You won’t have to make this decision at the first appointment, but by at least thinking about the subject and assessing how it could affect your life, you’ll be better prepared to give the surgeon honest feedback if it could be a potential treatment option down the road.
- A Mindset Of Commitment – Finally, we want all of our patients to come in with the goal of seeing treatment through to the end. Only attending half of your physical therapy sessions or quitting your therapy routine halfway through isn’t going to help you achieve maximum medical improvement. It won’t always be easy at times, but set a goal for yourself to see it through to the end. You’ll be better off for it.
For more information, or to talk to a specialist in your area, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi’s office today.
