As a person with back pain, you want your spine specialist to be able to help rid you of your discomfort. And while we’ll do everything in our power to help you do that, there are also some things we want and expect out of you. A lot of these things are for your benefit, and others just help your whole treatment experience run smoother. Below, we take a look at some of the things your spine specialist wants from you during the course of your care.
5 Things Spine Specialists Want From Their Patients
From a provider’s perspective, here’s a look at five things we want from our patients.
- The Ability To Listen, Not Just Hear – The first thing we need from patients is for them to have the ability to listen to what we’re saying to them. We don’t want you to just hear what we’re saying and move on, we want you to comprehend what we’re telling you. If we’re recommending a certain treatment, advising against sporting activities or walking you through infection prevention protocols, we want you to listen to this and heed our advice.
- A Strong Work Ethic – Rarely does a significant back injury get better by rest alone, so we need you to bring a strong work ethic to the table. We need someone who is going to put forth their full effort during physical therapy or during their home-based exercise program. There’s no magic pill to cure your pain – it’s going to take some work. We want patients who are willing to put in this work, because we know that in the end it will be worth it.
- An Inquisitive Mind – We love when patients come with questions or ask us follow ups after we’ve explained a topic. It shows that they are engaged in their care and it generally helps to fuel better outcomes. If you’re curious about a different type of treatment or wondering what you can do to help your surgical outcomes, please ask away!
- Respect of Time – We’re never going to rush a patient out of an exam room, but at the same time, we hope that you have some understanding for the value of our time, of your time, and of the time of other patients. You don’t want us to be late because another patient was late to their appointment or was easily sidetracked during the consultation, so we ask the same of you. We’ll always take time to answer all your questions and ensure you feel confident in your care before you leave, but we also ask that you try your best to be on time and keep most conversation on-topic.
- Your Best Self – Finally, we want patients who are truly interested in achieving the best recovery possible. If you are going to undergo treatment or surgery, go all in and really work towards those improved outcomes. Stick to your exercise regimen, be mindful of what you eat and drink, practice good wound care and go to all your follow up appointments. We’re going to do everything we can to help you become completely pain free, so we want patients who are willing to do the same to help themselves achieve the best outcomes.
If all these things sound possible and you want help with your back pain, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and his team today!
