Orthopaedic surgeons - my experiences

Orthopaedic surgeons generally specialize in the diagnosis and treatment, both surgical or non-surgical, of conditions affecting muscles, joints, and bones. I have had three orthopaedic surgeons in the past seven years.

With any doctor, a patient obviously needs to trust the doctor, be treated with respect, and to have confidence in the doctor's ability. I had no problem with the above criteria with my first orthopaedic surgeon. He reassured me that everything would be okay; he explained procedures and scientific names to me in understandable patient terms. He listened to my concerns, and answered all my questions. I was nineteen years of age then, and my sciatic pain was resolved after months of physiotherapy.

However, I had to see another orthopaedic surgeon, as my sciatic pain came back. I saw a different once simply because I moved from one city to another recently. My second orthopaedic surgeon is, to put it mildly, an idiot.

My first visit with the surgeon lasted approximately seven minutes. He was thirty minutes late. Luckily, I am a very patient person. (I once waited for 1.5 hours for a friend of mine at a subway stop in Toronto. Most folks would have given up after forty-five minutes, but I'm either very patient, or very strange!) When I got in there, I gave him a report of the first set of x-rays that were taken. He read them, and asked if I had any questions. Without letting me have a chance to say anything, he asked me to do a bunch of tests quickly: walking forwards, backwards, on my heels, and on my toes; bending frontwards, backwards, and bending to the left and right. I had to touch my toes as well. I think all of this lasted a minute. He then suggested that I wear a corset for three weeks. I questioned his judgement immediately. I didn't see how a corset would help me. After all, my posture is very good to begin with. So, I tried it for a few days, and gave it up.

I went back for my second appointment with him, and told him that wearing a corset did not help relieve any pain. He then sent me to the radiology department to get some more x-rays. He wrote a medical slip for me, and opened the door wide open. This appointment lasted three minutes. I extended it by asking why I needed a second set. He claimed that he did not get the first set of x-rays until after our first appointment. According to my family doctor, they had arrived much sooner than that. I also gave the orthopaedic surgeon the report of the first set of x-rays. He was irritated that I questioned him, and stated that he "...has been in the business for thirty-five years, and knows more about backs than [ I ] do." He does not have any people skills.

So, I had the second set of x-rays done on my back. I got them after an hour, and went back to the orthopaedic surgeon. He looked at them, and gave me the same results as the first set of x-rays. He then requested that I have a CT scan and a myelogram done. I asked him what the myelogram was for, and he just said that "a needle is stuck in my back, and that ink is injected. X-rays are then performed." He then told me to see his secretary to make an appointment for these two procedures. She made the appointment and said that once the results came in, she would call me to schedule an appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon.

I had the CT scan and myelogram done. (I explain both procedures in detail in the Diagnostics section of my web page.) I suffered a lot of bad side effects after both procedures. I called my orthopaedic surgeon and explained what I was experiencing. He didn't offer any advice other than what I had been doing -- drinking a lot of water.

A week and a half after I had both the procedures done, I had yet to hear from the orthopaedic surgeon. I called twice. The second time, the secretary just returned my call. When I called the third time, she basically said, "I called you back earlier." Her statement seemed a tad defensive to me. Anyway, the orthopaedic surgeon took my call, and said that one of my discs was protruding. He briefly asked how I was doing, and let his secretary book an appointment for me.

I went to the next appointment with a friend of mine. I had told him that I didn't like my orthopaedic surgeon. We came in, and the surgeon explained that my spine was a bit curved (i.e. mild scoliosis) and that there was a "thing" bulging out, and that was hitting my sciatic nerve.

He gave me to options: "Either you can do nothing, and continue the way you have been, or you can get an operation. Which is it that you want?" I told him that I would have to think about this, as I couldn't give him an answer on the spot. I asked if there was any other alternatives, and he said there weren't. "It's like having problems with your car's engine, and you repair the fender," he stated. Nice, huh?

I then proceeded to ask him what are the consequences of having an operation. He said, "You could die. But only one death occurred in the past five years at the hospital after a back operation. You could get infected, get blood clots,..." Those remarks are not exactly comforting. He never really said anything positive about having the operation, and the success rate of it.

My friend then asked what the operation involves. The surgeon responded by saying that "the operation is very detailed, and you may not be able to understand the process." I found that remark rather insulting. I thought it was the surgeon's job to explain to the patient any questions that she may have. In any event, after pulling teeth to get the information out of him, he explained that the operation involves filing some of the bone in the spine down, and removing the bulging part of the disc to relieve the pain.

After the appointment, my friend agreed that this surgeon is an idiot and is hostile. I had to wait for three months to get a referral from my family doctor to see a different orthopaedic surgeon. I did in March of 1998, and was happy with him. He treated me like a patient and a person. He took half an hour to assess my discomfort in my right leg. He also stated that he would like me to attend physiotherapy sessions first to see if they will help ease the pain. Should the sessions not benefit me at all, he did discuss an operation. However, the operation was the last resort for him.

So, I've been in physiotherapy for two months or so, and the pain has subsided, but it's still there. I now have more exercises to do, and more to add to the Exercises link. I now need to write a letter to my second orthopaedic surgeon who wasted my time, and was not very helpful.