The initial manifestation of patients suffering from cervical or lumbar spine diseases is often pain, because of which they have to go to the doctor. See a doctor in the hospital, see a doctor, said anyone knows. But to say how to see a doctor, what to do beforehand to prepare, there is a lot to learn. Understand this, you may get twice the result with half the effort; on the contrary, you may be time-consuming and laborious, futile return. What kind of doctor? Orthopaedic specialization is becoming more and more refined, especially in larger general hospitals. Some hospitals have not yet made a detailed professional division of labor, but the doctors have their own professional expertise. Therefore, when you visit an orthopedic clinic, you should also pay attention to whether there is a spine surgery specialty clinic or a spine surgeon’s specialist clinic. The main work and research of these doctors are generally focused on the spine, and they have a certain amount of clinical experience and professionalism. In this way, the doctor can have a strong focus, so that you can make a diagnosis of your disease as soon as possible, and find the right treatment. How to describe your condition? Due to the limitations of the national situation, the vast majority of hospitals and doctors have not yet implemented the outpatient appointment system. Generally, in orthopedic outpatient clinics, a doctor has to see dozens of patients in a half day on average, and the time allocated to each patient is naturally very limited. How to let the doctor know your condition in a complete, concise and precise manner within this limited time? You need to be prepared before your visit. When presenting your condition, be as objective, concise and organized as possible, without subjective colors, not to mention self-diagnosis and even treatment. For example, some patients say as soon as they see the doctor: I have a herniated lumbar disc, I have sciatica, I have cervical spondylosis, etc.; some patients go even further, asking for CT and MRI or such and such expensive tests as soon as they see the doctor; some patients are even unwilling to listen to the doctor’s advice and counseling, and directly “command” the doctor to prescribe medication. Subjective speculation and rash judgment is easy to mislead the doctor’s thinking, delay the diagnosis of the disease, and may even cause adverse consequences. This is something that patients should be warned against. How to answer the doctor’s questions? After a concise and objective description of your condition, you should be prepared to answer the doctor’s questions. It is important to know that it is important to talk about your condition, but at the same time, it is equally important to listen to the doctor’s questions and give accurate answers for the correct diagnosis and treatment of the disease. First, be prepared. Doctors often ask those questions in the outpatient clinic? Generally there are three aspects: (a) about your general medical and family history and other relevant information; (b) details of your current spinal discomfort; (c) if you need surgery, and surgery-related questions. (b) Be complete and concise. Don’t leave out the key points related to your disease, but be concise and clear, don’t report a running account. Third, be truthful. Believe that your doctor will give you relevant help after you truthfully provide details of your condition, and doctors value and respect patients’ privacy. In addition, don’t think that the more you exaggerate your actual situation, the more you can get the doctor’s attention, neither exaggerate nor downplay, factual is the correct and desirable attitude. Frequently asked questions about your general medical and family history and other aspects: Besides spinal disorders, do you have any chronic, recurring illnesses and discomforts? If so, has there been a diagnosis? Have you received any treatment? What were those specific treatments? For the above conditions, what medications do you use: name of medication, course of treatment, formulations, dosage, etc.? Have you had any drug or food allergies or other related problems in the past? Have you ever used herbal remedies for your condition? What kind of medicine? How was it used? Alcohol consumption. Amount of alcohol consumed daily or monthly. Has there been any treatment for alcohol or drug addiction? Any recent unusual weight gain or loss? What surgeries have been performed? How effective was the treatment? Are there any complications? Any family history of diabetes, hypertension, or liver, lung, kidney, heart, stomach, intestinal, blood, bone, joint, or muscle disease, stroke, or neurological disease? Any family and genetic history of neck and shoulder pain, low back pain, or other spinal conditions Age of DD episodes, diagnosis and treatment. Details of your current spinal presence. How long have you had spinal discomfort? What are the main manifestations? Neck pain? Low back pain? Shoulder and arm pain? Hip pain? Leg pain? When did it start? When did the symptoms get worse? In what cases do the symptoms lessen? Describe the pain. Sharp, dull, hot burning, electric shock-like, numbness, tingling, throbbing, etc. When symptoms are severe, what daily tasks can you still do? Those that you are not able to do? Impact on your work, play, hobbies, sex life, and social life? What factors can aggravate the symptoms of pain, numbness, weakness, and tingling? Those factors that can be alleviated? Distribution of sensory abnormalities. Upper or lower extremities, specific parts of the limbs, neck and shoulders, lower back and legs, left or right, day or night, and other comparisons. What diagnostic tests have been performed: x-rays, CT, MRI, tomography, ultrasound, isotope bone scan, discography, etc.? At what segment of the spine? Where were these tests performed? What were the results of the tests? Besides the spine, have you had similar tests as above? Such as heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal, other organs, and bone tissue? What were the results? What medications have you used to treat your spinal discomfort? What helped? Which ones did not? What conservative treatments have you used? For example, acupressure, massage, physical therapy. Where, how and what were the results of the conservative treatment? Have you had any injections? For example, nerve root closure, synovial closure, epidural injection, etc.? Specific location, treating physician, results, etc. Have you ever undergone surgery? Have you received rehabilitation for chronic pain? What were the results? If your condition requires surgery, your doctor will typically ask the following questions. Are you hoping for a complete cure? How much symptom improvement is acceptable to you? To what extent can you be satisfied with the improvement in symptoms? What aspect of your condition would you most like to improve? What can’t you do at the moment that you would like to change with surgery? What do you know about the risks of surgery?