do surgeons ever not suggest surgery?

[cbluciano]

I have some "degenerative" issues in my neck. First MRI was 6 years ago when I had a mildly herniated disc and some bone spurs, minimal symptoms. The doctor (in Beverly Hills, CA) suggested surgery as the first option which surprised me given I felt okay for the most part. I asked for an alternative and he offered physical therapy which I did and eventually had my symptoms disappear until I recently aggravated it again on a rollercoaster (bad idea). Another MRI showed progressive degeneration and my symptoms were much worse after this incident but have faded away over the last 2 months. I was referred to another "orthopedic surgeon" who once again suggested surgery, much more strongly this time.

For the same diagnosis I see many other types of doctors saying that surgery is not necessarily required and they believe the issues can be remedied through lifestyle changes (such as corrected posture, healthier lifestyle), physical therapy and other modalities. They say that people can recover but this is not reported because only people who continue to feel discomfort return to the doctor.

What Im getting at is it seems like surgeons almost always suggest surgery even though alternative approaches are claimed to work by other types of doctors. Are surgeons doing this because they want to fund their business? They have gone to 10 years of school for this and believe it is the only approach that will work? Everyone else says use surgery as the last option for back/neck issues.

[Ghaati]

I have almost-bone-on-bone arthritis in my hip, moderate arthritis in the other hip, degenerative disk disease in two of my disks. The orthopedic surgeon I went to for a consultation last year said that when the time comes, he'll be happy to do my hip replacement. But he said it's not time yet. I can still walk unimpeded most of the time and tylenol and horse liniment usually takes care of the days when I'm in too much pain to move without a profound limp.

So the answer to your question is yes. Surgeons do sometimes recommend "no surgery."

[Parnassia]

Yes IME they do. As already mentioned, that moment in time or circumstances may not call for surgery. No surgeon I've ever seen pushed me into anything. Usually there were one or more discussions of alternatives followed by trying non-invasive options first, then if those didn't help enough, surgery as a last resort. With one exception...removing a diagnosed cancer. Surgery earlier than later can be considered curative because it gets rid of the thing before it spreads.