Why is it crucial to get a second opinion for spinal surgeries?
October 4, 2016Irrespective of the place from where you will get your spine surgery done, whether a spine surgery in India or the developed countries, it is always best to get a second opinion. This is especially true for lumbar spine surgery and laser spine surgery. It may seem like spine surgery experts should be trusted and that too many opinions will simply confuse you. However, it is crucial that you get a second opinion for your spine surgery for the following reasons:
- You may not want it:
Sometimes you simply do not want to pay that much or you think you can live that pain or you think a chiropractor can cure it. However, it can be very difficult to change the mind of a professional once he has made up his mind. This is why you must get a second surgeon to confirm if you need it or not as two people who think you need or not it is something which does not go wrong often.
- The doctor’s decision may be economically motivated:
Sometimes you may have no need for a spine surgery, and the doctor may ask you to do it just for his personal gain. A second doctor will probably, immediately catch this and more importantly, he will have no incentive to lie to you. This is because if you do not need it, and he is honest, he will tell you. But even if he is dishonest he will tell you because he does not want his rival doctor getting money from you.
- If you already had a spine surgery:
You are already in a bad state, and one surgery has already failed. Therefore, it is better than you know for sure that the second time will work and do not repeat your mistakes as it only wastes your money and more importantly your time.
- Think your first surgeon is not good:
This will be the easiest way to convince you. Sometimes a surgeon may simply not be good at his job, and this will be evident from the way he talks and the way that he answers your questions. Therefore, you must not be scared to go and ask a competent surgeon. If you think your second surgeon is incompetent as well, ask a third. Even if all three agree, ask a fourth until you are comfortable.
- Surgical procedures can be difficult to understand:
It can be construed that a doctor does not choose to share all the details of the surgery with you. You also may not be able to understand everything either as sometimes it is impossible to learn everything the doctor learned in a lifetime in just a few minutes.
- Second opinions relieve stress:
If you feel that having just one doctor’s opinion is stressing you out, please go to a second as this stress is not good for your surgery.
The sheer complexity and difficulty of a spine surgery and the number of people who are not experts in spine surgery in India, it is worth asking for a second opinion. Once again, this is especially true for lumbar spine surgery and laser spine surgery.