We hope that all of our patients are good candidates for surgery if that’s the route we believe is best for the patient, but sometimes being a bad candidate for a surgical procedure is actually a good thing. In today’s blog, we explain what factors make someone an ideal candidate for spine surgery, and why we often hope that patients aren’t a good candidate.
5 Factors That Determine Spine Surgery Candidacy
The intro may seem a bit confusing, but let us explain. We hope all patients who decide to undergo surgery are good candidates, but we hope that you’re not an ideal candidate for surgery because surgery is oftentimes viewed as the last resort for solving your back pain. In other words, if we believe that your back pain will resolve with conservative treatments, then you’re not an ideal candidate for spine surgery, and that’s a good thing!
So with that in mind, here are some factors that we use to determine if a patient is a good candidate for surgery:
- Unlikely To Recover From Conservative Care – If we can help you heal without a procedure, we’re going to do it. However, if you’ve already tried conservative options to no avail or you’re dealing with a time-sensitive issue that is unlikely to resolve with treatments like physical therapy or controlled exercise, then surgery might be in the cards. You’re only truly an ideal candidate for surgery if non-operative treatments aren’t likely to solve your problem.
- Good Health – We hope that all of our patients are in good health, and we understand that “healthy” can be relative given a person’s age and medical history. Being young doesn’t mean you have great health, and being old doesn’t automatically disqualify you from surgery. We examine each patient individually and really dive into their overall health history to determine if you would be an ideal candidate for surgery.
- Ideal Weight – We also hope that our prospective surgery patients have a healthy Body Mass Index or are willing to work towards a healthier weight. Being overweight or obese can complicate the procedure and put you at an elevated risk for problems after the fact. Your spine works hard to handle the stress of your body, and if you’re overweight, it has to disperse more stress, and that will be even harder if it is weakened because of the trauma of surgery.
- Willing To Work – Surgery doesn’t just solve all of your back pain problems. It’s part of the equation, but this equation also calls for a lot of work on your end. You’re going to need to follow your doctor’s instructions, commit to physical therapy and follow through with all your exercises if you’re going to get the most out of your rehabilitation. We want patients who are excited to put in this work and get back to feeling as healthy as possible after an operation. If you’re willing to put in the work, you’re one step closer to being an ideal candidate for spine surgery.
- Know What You Want – Finally, in order to get the most out of surgery and your recovery, you need to know what you want to get out of your procedure. An ideal patient will have lofty but attainable goals prior to and after their procedure. We need to make sure their goals align with what the surgery can offer, because if we can’t help you achieve what you hope to get out of an operation, then you may not be an ideal candidate. We can help with the goal setting process when discussing your options.
For more information, or to learn if you are an ideal candidate for spine surgery, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi’s office today.
