What is the difference between an orthopedic surgeon and a neurosurgeon?
Each of these surgical specialists has their own areas of expertise and their skill and expertise overlap in the area of spinal surgery. Both specialties require 5-7 years of residency training, followed in some cases by additional time in fellowship training. Traditionally, neurosurgeons handled spinal operations dealing with the discs and nerves, while orthopedic surgeons handled operations on the bony spine, such as spinal fusion. More recently, though, both specialties are training their spinal surgeons to perform the whole range of spinal surgery. As neurosurgeons, we still work very closely with our orthopedic colleagues. A surgeon’s experience, training, and judgement in spinal surgery are more important than the subspecialty to which he or she belongs.
