iSpine.org About iSpine

Welcome to the new iSpine website! This is a work in progress and I hope that you'll bear with me as we work together to grow this site into the best place on the internet for information relevant to spine patients. iSpine is an acronym for the International Spine Patient Information Network. I believe that the internet spine patient community was instrumental in saving my life over 6 years ago when I discovered it. I was afraid, confused, uninformed and was getting conflicting information from my medical providers. The information I received from the Braintalk Spinal Disorders forum provided the dose of reality that I needed to fully understand the importance of the decisions I'd have to make about my medical care. Without the Braintalk forum, I would have done surgery with the first (credible) surgeon who told me what I wanted to hear.

Having lived in the online patient community for so long now, I believe that there is still a need for a place where people can come to read and to share information that is relevant to our conditions, along with a place for community support. Posting on iSpine forums will be open to all members who contribute in a positive manner. Some members will come only for information or answers to specific questions. Some will be here to share their success. Some will be here to share negative experiences. (This is equally important to us as we are deciding on our course of treatment.) Some will come for a sense of community and emotional support. While we may be here for different reasons, we are all here because we or a loved one have been touched by a life-altering spinal disorder.

Come on in and share your story. Share what you know. Take what you can, but remember that this is the internet. There will certainly be information posted here that is incorrect. It is up to you to evaluate the credibility of the information you receive here and elsewhere and take responsibility for the decisions you must make. However scary this may be, I hope that you'll find your time here well spent and worthwhile.