Types of Spine Surgeons

Collaborative Care at the Spine Center

Spine conditions are common. Many different types of doctors care for problems related to the back and neck. The Spine Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) uses a multidisciplinary approach. With us, you’ll receive care from providers across multiple specialties to ensure that your care is comprehensive.

Neurosurgeons & Orthopedic Surgeons

People who have complex problems involving the bones and nerves in the spine usually do well under the care of a specialist. This is especially true if you may be a candidate for spine surgery.

If you face the possibility of surgery, you may wonder which surgeon you should choose:  

• Neurosurgeons specialize in issues related to the nerves 
• Orthopedic surgeons specialize in problems with the bones

Conditions Treated

Both neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons are highly skilled in treating problems related to the spine. For many conditions that require a surgical specialist, a well-qualified neurosurgeon or orthopedic surgeon can provide effective, comprehensive care. 

Rather than asking which specialty is best for you, it usually makes more sense to ask about the training and experience a particular surgeon has had in treating your specific condition. There are some relatively rare problems that one type of specialist is more suited to treat. As examples:  

• Neurosurgeons treat spinal cord tumors and other intradural conditions. 
• Orthopedic spine surgeons typically treat adult scoliosis and other spinal deformities.  

In these cases, a comprehensive Spine Center like ours can quickly guide you to the right specialist.

Benefits of Comprehensive Care

For cases that present special challenges, it helps to have the perspective of both specialists. That’s because each is likely to have a different way of viewing you and your condition. By sharing these different perspectives, our specialists can design a plan of care that is more complete than if either were caring for you alone.

Advantages of a Multidisciplinary Spine Center

The BIDMC Spine Center’s model of care shows how our approach could work well for you. We routinely hold multidisciplinary conferences. During these, both types of specialists (and our physiatrists) discuss patients under their care. 

By building this type of collaboration into the core of our program, we give you the benefit of a combined approach to care. This not only uses the full range of each specialist’s expertise, but also ensures a truly customized and comprehensive plan of care for you. 

Please ask your doctor any questions you may have about these and other issues:  

• Which specialists you should see for your condition 
• What each type of specialist has to offer 
• How specialists work together to coordinate your care