Dr. Joshua John-Ram Schacter (speaker) explains that even technically perfect surgeries — those that appear flawless on X-ray and soft-tissue inspection — can still result in undesirable outcomes such as chronic pain or dysfunction. He emphasizes the importance of setting realistic patient expectations and recognizing that technical success does not guarantee a perfect clinical result.
It can be a technically perfect procedure that can look perfect on X ray, that can look perfect from a soft tissue perspective. We spend a lot of time talking to patients about surgery and their possible outcomes and what they can expect. And it's very important for us to recognize that even the best surgery can have a less than desirable outcome. It can be a technically perfect procedure that can look perfect on X ray, that can look perfect from a soft tissue perspective, and still it either has chronic pain or dysfunction or some other problem. And so, yes, it's important for us as patients and as certainly as surgeons and physicians to understand that not every surgery, even though it might go technically perfect, turns out perfect.
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