Determining if you need surgery

My doctor is recommending surgery, im not sure thats the route I want to go. What do I do?

My answer

You may have heard one of our favorite sayings around here, if you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. What this means is that to surgeons, surgery is often the answer. Just like to PTs, manual therapy and exercise is often the answer. Who is right? Well that depends a lot on your situation. 

I think the best way to determine the route forward in a situation like this is to answer the following questions

1. Did I have an acute injury that requires a time sensitive surgery for best healing outcomes?

If this is the case, you can likely skip the following steps and book yourself some time in the OR. Acute injuries like complete tears/etc can be difficult to repair/attach if too much time has passed since the injury. If there is no chance it will heal on its own, surgery is likely the answer. If blood supply is compromised in any way, surgery is likely the answer.

2. Did I get a second opinion?

In any surgical case - aside from a life threatening or limb threatening emergency, I recommend a second opinion. You may choose to go with the first doctor, and that is totally fine, but getting a few perspectives can help you feel confident in your decision. 

These next couple are questions to ask your surgeon - 

3. What percent of your symptoms are likely coming from the surgical issue and how likely is it/what percent is likely to be resolved with surgery?

4. What symptoms will you be left with after surgery?

5. What is the likelihood of long term complications/new symptoms from surgery?

now back to questions to ask yourself - 

6. Are my symptoms interfering with my quality of life, 

7. Based on the answers to the questions to my surgeon, do I feel confident that the outcome will be right for me?

8. What other conditions do I have that may impact my recovery, and are they stable for surgery at this point?

9. What  is my support system like for recovery and do I anticipate it being stable over the recovery period?

Need more advice? Send us an email at info@perfecttenpt.com