Orthopedists' ratings

Orthopedists' ratings were not far below those of rheumatologists for providing dramatic and moderate long-term relief. The ratings match closely in the other categories too, except that orthopedic surgeons were nearly twice as likely (in the US Survey 6 percent versus 3 percent) to make their patients feel worse after treatment — because of the wrong advice, a poor surgery outcome, or a bad attitude. Here are some examples:

The wrong advice. 'My orthopedic surgeon caused me the most harm by advising me to rest, instead of exercise,' said a forty-three-year-old tennis instructor from New York.

Poor surgery outcome. 'It's probably my own fault for going to the local hospital in the small town where I live,' conceded a retired factory worker from Michigan, *but the orthopedic surgeon was incompetent and he hurt me. I walked with a cane before my foot surgery. Now I have to use crutches.’ Bad attitude. A thirty-five-year-old vocational counselor from Texas reported that her orthopedist used scare tactics, actually 'threatening' surgery if she didn't do her exercises. In California, a thirty-seven-year-old home health aide found an orthopedic surgeon who told her, There's nothing you can do for it, and it's just going to get worse as years go on.' 'I believed him,' she recalled, *but I found out through trial and error that exercise relieves my arthritis pain. The experience with the doctor led me to seek my own solutions — since he presented none.'