Patients often ask me when is it time to have surgery, and that really is very patient dependent. And one of the most important things I ask patients are, are they getting better? Are they getting worse? Are they staying the same? Generally, if somebody’s getting worse and they’ve tried everything, all other treatment options, it’s time to think about surgery.
If they’re getting better generally, it’s a good idea to hold off on surgical intervention. Patients that are staying the same and they’ve tried everything and they can’t live their life, that would also be a good time to consider surgical intervention.