Hi. I'm Dr. J. Michael Bennett. Today we're going to talk about second opinions.
This is primarily for the patient who is really on the fence on whether or not they
want surgery, whether they think it's the best thing for them at that time in their
life, whether they think they can cooperate with the rehab afterwards.
In our practice here, we encourage second opinions. And if there's any questions
regarding our treatments, if there's any questions regarding the post-operative
recovery or rehabilitation, I encourage our patients to ask for second opinions.
Here we follow the standard of care. And I believe that if you do get a second
opinion, then those doctors will agree with the perceived process that you're
offering them. If you are a patient who's working with a doctor,
and they're suggesting surgery, you have to understand that there is always an
option, particularly in orthopedic surgery.
Unless it is a broken bone, or a broken bone that's open, meaning exposed to the
air, then there's nothing that is emergent about orthopedics unless it's a
neurovascular issue, meaning blood, nerve, or bone is exposed and at risk for getting
an infection. Then you need to obviously do that quickly. Or if the bone is broken,
then you need to dress it quickly. But when it comes to sports medicine,
or tendon tears, or ligament tears, if there's any question about it,
you should have the option of doing nothing or fixing it electively.
It is an elective procedure.
Most patients, if they're active, will typically want to have the surgical
intervention to get back to their previous actives. However,
there is a subset of the population that's just perfectly happy not having surgery at
all, which is fine. They just need to understand the risks associated with
non-operative management, which could be a number of things. It could be weakness.
It could be cramping. It could be stiffness. It could be lack of motion.
It could be aching pain, and numbness and tingling, long term.
There's a number of possibilities out there in regards to what are the risks
associated with non-operative management. But that being said,
there's always the risk associated with surgery. And the risk of surgery being
infection, same thing, being stiffness, having your bones heal,
heal in the wrong position, heal in an angulated position, having your bones not
heal, having a...having the hardware not take. There's a number of
possible complications involved with surgery as well. Unfortunately, in
medicine, nothing is a guarantee.
But, that being said, your surgeon should go through each option with you and
explain thoroughly what the risks, what the benefits, and what the options are.
Typically, if you have a fracture, and you cannot walk, and ambulation is the key to
preventing a pneumonia or preventing a blood clot in your legs,
then obviously, surgery is indicated as soon as possible to get you moving. If
you have a tendon tear or a rotator cuff tear, and you have some aches and pains,
particularly at night or with over-head activities, many times,
you can try therapy or you can try an injection, and think about it.
You can research it. I'd highly recommend if you do do research,
particularly on the Internet, to research all orthopedic issues
at a reputable site such as The American Board of Orthopedic Surgery or The
American Academy of Orthopedic Sports Medicine. Either of those websites
have...or even the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. All of those websites
have access to sites that can explain the standard of care regarding
your particular ailment. And your surgeon should go over that with you.
So if you have any questions or any hesitations regarding your treatment,
please consider a second opinion. And make sure that you're comfortable and
confident about the decision you make, and that you and your surgeon are on the same
page, particularly regarding post- operative recovery, physical therapy,
return-to-play, and resumption of normal activities. If you have any questions
regarding this, please contact my office. I'm Dr. J. Michael Bennett.
Thank you.