The question should be formulated as spine surgeon vs. neurosurgeon as an orthopaedic surgeon must then do a fellowship before becoming a spine surgeon.
It may not matter as much between the two as it should between the more competent practitioner. How many years has the surgeon been practicing? Ask multiple questions of both and look for their answers. I wrote a response on how to pick a surgeon and what questions to ask at the initial onset of this forum. Search for that response.
I wrote on the website my opinion of artificial discs for the lumbar spine. You can read that under “treatments’- “surgical” and formulate your own opinion.
In the appropriately selected patient, fusion of one level should have a 90% success rate for 2/3 relief of pain.
Dr. Corenman
