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The Basics You Need to Know After Being Referred to an Orthopedic Surgeon
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If you visit your primary care doctor with an orthopedic injury — or in other words, an injury to your musculoskeletal system — then you are likely to be referred to an orthopedic surgeon. This can be a little scary at first, especially if you've never had orthopedic care in the past. However, if you become familiar with the basics below, you'll feel more confident in the experience of seeing the orthopedic surgeon and possibly planning an upcoming surgery.
You may not actually need surgery.
Don't assume that, since your doctor is referring you to an orthopedic surgeon, you absolutely need surgery. It will be your surgeon's job to determine whether surgery is the best option for you. They might determine that you'd actually be better off trying a less-invasive option like cortisone injections or physical therapy. So don't start planning on surgery until you actually have the consultation.
You may be referred to another specialist.
The surgeon you are referred to will do an evaluation, which will probably involve some imaging, to determine exactly what your injury is. However, they may or may not end up being the surgeon who actually performs your surgery. Depending on the nature of your injury, you may be referred to an orthopedic surgeon who has more of a specialty or more experience with your particular issue. For example, if you have a torn ACL, you may be referred to a surgeon who specializes in knees. If you have a bone spur in your foot, you may be referred to a podiatric specialist — an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in feet.
You may be able to choose from various surgical approaches.
Many patients expect to walk into the orthopedic surgeon's office and be told that surgery is the next step. Sometimes, this happens because there is only one approach. But often, there is more than one surgical option that will work for you. So, your consultation with the surgeon will be more about discussing your options and less about your surgeon telling you what they'll do. Your surgeon should tell you about the pros and cons of each of your options, how long the recovery time will be, and when they can schedule it. You won't need to make the decision immediately, but you will have all the information needed to decide over the next few days.
Meeting with an orthopedic surgeon for the first time is not always what patients expect. Now that you've read this article, though, you should have a better idea of what to expect with orthopedic surgery. It's an important step on your healing journey and hopefully, one that will tell you whether surgery is or is not in your future.
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