Success in pain management for spine patients means treating the disciplines with moderation and meeting in the middle, according to Anthony Yeung, MD, who gave a talk entitled "Innovations With Endoscopic Transformational Identification and Surgical Treatment of Painful Patho-Anatomy of the Lumbar Spine" on June 13, 2014 at the 12th Annual Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference + The Future of Spine on June 13, 2014 in Chicago.
"Endoscopic spine surgery bridges the gap between pain management and traditional spine surgery," said Dr. Yeung.
According to Dr. Yeung, pain management physicians and spine surgeons think differently about how to treat the patient with back pain. Both disciplines, however, should consider moderation in practice. "For example," said Dr. Yeung, "Don't do the last thing first. For spine surgeons, this means don't do fusion until you have to."
"It's not good enough to be a good technician. You have to know why you're doing the surgery you have chosen to do," he added.
Understanding exactly how close one can operate to the extremes is something that comes from a lifetime of practice, according to Dr. Yeung. For surgeons who commit to learning the technique, it is a journey, but it is a journey that is well worth it, Dr. Yeung noted. "Surgeon understanding, experience and skill are critical," he added.