What is the difference between Orthopedic Surgeon vs Neurosurgeon for Spine Surgery?

When patients are considering getting Spine surgery in Ludhiana, the most common question which they have in mind is ‘Whether should I choose orthopedic surgeon or neurosurgeon.’ Let’s understand the difference between their work and the additional service which they can provide.

Neurosurgeons and Orthopedic Surgeons Specialize in Spine Surgery

Many years back, neurosurgeons were considered responsible for giving spine surgery. However, in the last few years, spine surgery has evolved a lot so both of them are specialized to give the treatment. Both of them are qualified to give the patients the best care when they need it.

Neurosurgeons

Neurosurgeons may be Medical Doctors or Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine. They complete a 5 to 6-year residency focused on the surgical treatment of neurological conditions. Neurosurgeons are trained in diagnosis and treatment for the following conditions:

• Brain
• Intracranial and intraspinal vasculature
• Spine and spinal cord
• Nerves

Some neurosurgeons are specialized for just brain surgery, some on spine surgery, and some have completed the practice on both of them.

Orthopaedic Surgeons

Orthopaedic surgeons may be Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) or Medical Doctors (MD). They have completed 5-year of surgical residency, and the main focus of treatment is on musculoskeletal conditions. They specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of almost all joint and bone disorders. The conditions which they can treat includes:

• Spinal disorders
• Arthritis
• Trauma
• Sports injury
• Hand injuries and deformities
• Total joint replacement

Some orthopedic surgeons focus on the types of joints (knees, shoulders, and hips), exclusively on spine surgery, and might split the practice in 2 to 3 areas.

Both orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons may complete fellowship training to do the different types of spine surgery. There are a few types of spine surgery in which the speciality needs to be more as compared to others:

• In the past, orthopedic surgeons tended to be more qualified to do the surgery for spinal deformity such as scoliosis. Many neurosurgeons are trained to do the deformity surgery.
• Neurosurgeons are qualified to do the intradural surgery like thecal sac tumours.

Spine Fellowships

• Once the orthopaedic surgeon and neurosurgeon get the residency they can extend the training by completing the spine fellowship program. This program is going to give them additional information and specialized training for different surgeries.
• The additional training is for the surgeon who has completed the residency training and earned the board certification or specialty in a certain area.

Spine surgery has been recognized greatly in the last few years, and it makes it easier for the patient to get the best results. The spine surgeon who gets the additional training and completes the practice makes them the best surgeon, and the patient also feels satisfied with the outcomes.with our surgeon today only.