Five Considerations to Keep in Mind When Choosing a Sports Hernia Surgeon
Once you have been diagnosed with a sports hernia, the next step is surgical repair. Since inguinal disruptions are a very specific, hard-to-diagnose injury, it’s important to select a sports hernia surgeon who specializes in sports hernia repair. If surgery may be in your future, here are some common mistakes to avoid and things to consider when choosing your sports hernia surgeon.
Your surgeon should have years of experience. After all, practice does make perfect, and you wouldn’t jeopardize your recovery by choosing a surgeon without precise knowledge and a long history of successful outcomes. When researching your options, make sure to look into a practice’s background. Also find out as much as you can about their success rate, and remember that only positive testimonials make it on to a website. Check out a few sports hernia forums where members speak freely about their experiences.
Do your research on the sports hernia repair surgery method the surgeon uses: surgical mesh or an open operation. While the mesh may seem like the better option at first glance, (mesh is sort of like that late night bowl of ice cream – makes you feel great at first, not a good idea in the long run) it can cause many problems down the road, including pain or even another surgery. The open procedure requires a slightly longer recovery period, but has a higher rate of success, so it is vital to ask a surgeon which method he or she prefers.
Preview the surgeon’s plan for recovery. A great, experienced sports hernia specialist will have a clear, developed course of action to get you back on track. If a surgeon is knowledgeable about the surgery, but not the post-operative track, that could be a potential warning sign. A complete program, such as the six-week plan, is a good indicator that a sports hernia specialist is a viable choice.
Often a surgeon or practice can seem perfect, only to find that they don’t accept your insurance or take cash payment. The hallmark of a great sports hernia specialist is a willingness to work with your insurance company or you to ensure that you can afford the recovery you deserve.
Finally, the worst and most common mistake that you can make doesn’t have anything to do with choosing the right surgeon – it’s not choosing one at all. A sports hernia injury can be painful and debilitating, so the best thing that you can do is to get to a sports hernia specialist quickly. Why suffer any more pain longer than you already have? The sooner you see a specialist, the sooner you’ll be on the path to recovery. Before you know it, you’ll be back out there, good as new.