Connect
← Return to MILD (minimally invasive ligament decompression) and/or LinQ?
Discussion
MILD (minimally invasive ligament decompression) and/or LinQ?
Spine Health | Last Active: Mar 31 8:21am | Replies (40)Comment receiving replies
@kdks99 I can appreciate your comment about financial incentives influencing provider's recommendations for procedures. I can tell you as a patient from my experience at Mayo, there is not a financial bias for the surgeon to perform surgery. Mayo staff are all employees of Mayo and are paid the same salary if they do or don't do surgery. I think that gives a more objective and honest opinion. My surgeries at Mayo have been a cervical spinal fusion and fixing a broken ankle. I also found my physical therapist to be very knowledgeable about surgeries because she rehabs people before and after them and had knowledge of doctors and surgical procedures by treating their patients. Another source of evidence based information is medical literature and that can be found online. Sometimes, all you can see is the abstract, and other times, you can find a complete paper available without having to pay to read it. On the Mayo website, publications are listed in the physician profiles and you can look at those online. You can always search for a surgeon online and may find research papers if they are publishing. I think surgeons at major medical centers are the ones leading new innovations their field and publishing rather than surgeons in private practices. Medical journals have peer review by experts in the field before a paper is published.
Replies to "@kdks99 I can appreciate your comment about financial incentives influencing provider's recommendations for procedures. I can..."
Connect
Thank you for your response. I cannot count the number of physicians I have consulted, looking for a solution to chronic lumbar spine pain. I have many issues all delineated in two lumbar spine MRIs. The physicians all have great credentials and are at reputable teaching hospitals and their recommendations contradict each other. I do use google scholar to search for evidence based research on treatment options but it is hard to evaluate the quality of the research. I am trying to figure out my options. Thus far I've been told no surgery! yes surgery! no fusion! yes fusion. I've tried multiple rounds of physical therapy injections, etc, and so far nothing has helped. I've seen physiatrists who sent me to surgeons, physiatrists who recommend all kinds of treatments from MILD, to PRP, to peptides, medical marijuana etc. I would like to find someone that will tell me their best idea for treatment and provide a realistic assessment of success of the recommended treatment. After 6 years I finally asked my PCP what percent of her patients had successful back surgery. 50%. That would have been good to know. I know the problem with back surgery is once you've had it you've had it and things can definitely worsen. I suppose it's just a dream but I'd really like to find a surgeon who, after evaluating my imaging and symptoms provide a treatment plan and realistic evidence based possible outcomes so I can make the best decision.