FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is there a copay?
Co-pays are required by this office due to contractual obligations from the insurance company.

How long does a typical procedure take?
This depends on the procedure. For instance, an epidural steroid injection in the lower back could take as little as 3 minutes from start to finish. An example of a longer procedure would be a diskogram, which could take up to 90 minutes to complete and require you to recover in our facility for another 1-2 hours. Generally when your procedure is being scheduled you will be notified of the length of time to expect for your procedure.

Is it surgery?
No. While the procedures are done in a sterile environment similar to a surgical suite, all procedures performed at SpineCare Northwest are considered minimally invasive (or completely non-invasive!) procedures. That is, small incisions are made in the skin for the sake of advancing long, thin instruments to the site of interest. In fact, the incisions are so small that stitches are not required, band aids are enough to treat the incision site.

Does it hurt?
Some patients report pain and discomfort, others don't notice the procedure at all. Most all procedures begin with the doctor sterilizing the skin where he will be working. He then uses a numbing agent (similar to Novacaine) which is administered via a very small needle and syringe. There is a sharp poking pain reported by some patients as the needle is inserted under the skin. Shortly afterwards (a matter of seconds) the same area is completely numb. If there is pain reported after the numbing agent is introduced, the doctor may inject more numbing agent around the site to be sure the patient is not experiencing pain during the remainder of the procedure.

Do I need to schedule a ride home?
It depends on the procedure. Some procedures require a brief period of recovery while the effects of the anesthetic are wearing off. A patient still recovering from anesthetic should never drive and should have a friend/relative/driver available to take them home. If a procedure requires you to schedule a ride home you will be notified by phone when the medical assistant calls to prepare you for your appointment.

Will I feel immediate relief?
Most patients report an immediate feeling of relief, but this tends to be the numbing agent injected into the general area during the procedure. Once the immediate relief from the numbing agent has worn off, you can expect to sense general soreness around the site where the doctor's instruments entered the tissue, usually for a few days. Actual relief from the success of the procedure can sometimes take a few weeks to really notice as the human body doesn't heal overnight. As your body recovers from the procedure you will notice you have less (or none!) constant pain and can most likely return to your normal lifestyle in just a matter of weeks.

Why won't my insurance cover a non-invasive procedure?
Good question. Insurance companies are historically slow to cover newer, more modern procedures. The insurance companies tend to justify this by stating there is not enough clinical testing evidence to warrant a procedure or treatment as successful. For instance, IDD Therapy is covered by some insurance companies but not by others even though there are well over 35,000 documented treatments, which has a clinically proven success rate of 84%.

What is IDD?
IDD stands for Intervertebral Differential Dynamics Therapy®. Read more about IDD Therapy here.

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